Brave Adventurers' Travels: World of Final Fantasy
by David Ishihara
Summary: Our heroes arrive in a newly-discovered world for their second stop in the tournament. However, a mysterious prophecy complicates matters as they accompany a pair of twins that connect to it all.
1. Awake at Last

"So is that the place?" Dan asked as they approached some sort of city.

"Yeah. This is the unidentified world. Still no info, just a name. Nine Wood Hills." Tails said.

"Isn't this supposed to be a city? Where are all the people?" Hope asked.

"Well uh… maybe they're just lazy, y'know?" Gemini asked.

"Somehow I doubt that." Jesse said.

"Hmm… I'm getting this weird vibe… I'll be back in a sec." David said as he headed towards a coffee shop. "Hello? Anyone in here?"

"Oh...a customer." a voice said as a young man came down with a strange white fox on his head. "What can I get you?"

David looked at the fox creature for a moment before looking back at the young man. "I'll have a regular, three sugars."

"Make that two." a voice said as David saw a woman in yellow clothing at the door. "Guess who?"

"Naomi? What are you doing here?" David asked.

"David? Is that you? Aren't you a sight for sore eyes?" Naomi asked. "I was competing in this tournament when I saw how empty this world is. Weird, huh?"

"Competing? So, you have a Perfect Link too?" David asked.

"Yep. Come on out, girl! Don't worry. He's a friend." Naomi said as a Swanna walked in.

"A Swanna. Nice choice." David said.

"I know right? I saw her as a Ducklett injured at the lake in Lake Kawaguchi, and I just had to get her treated. Kinda weird how a Pokemon showed up out of nowhere in our world, right?" Naomi asked.

"Trust me. It's not the weirdest thing that's happened." David said.

"Word on the street is that you're a finalist already. Though, you always did have a way of working fast." Naomi said as a girl walked into the cafe.

"Oh...welcome. You'll need a water." the boy said.

"No. I need a pint- I mean one cup of coffee. And bring the whole jar of sugar. I'm gonna need it." she said.

"Right away. Oh, and you two said you wanted regulars with three sugars?" the boy at the counter asked.

"That's right." David said.

"That's three cups of joe coming right up. I'll get one of the big jars for sugar." the boy said heading over the the brewster. "Ugh… has nobody made the coffee yet? C'mon, guys… you three will have to excuse the wait, this could be a while."

"Don't worry. I am in no hurry." the girl said.

The boy made the coffee and then served it to the three. "There you go," he said. David and Naomi loaded their sugar in by their exact number, but the other girl kept popping it all in.

"Whoa, she must really be hooked on that sugar." David said.

"By the way, I've wanted to avoid the subject, but...you've got a...fox-thing on your head." Naomi said.

"Huh? What do you mean?" the boy asked.

"Does he really not notice it?" David asked.

"I don't think so." Naomi said.

"By the way, is everything okay with this place? We haven't seen anyone here besides you and that girl." David said.

"I know. It's strange. I came here cause I heard that a number of competitors were here. But I haven't seen one since coming here." Naomi said. "Come to think of it, I don't think I've seen anyone besides that boy and the customer."

"There you are! Lann!" a voice said as a girl ran into the shop.

"And now her." Naomi said.

"Keep it down, Reynn. Act your age a little more, why don't you?" the boy called Lann asked.

"Don't talk down to me, I've been a few minutes longer around last time I checked, little bro." Reynn retorted.

"Yep, definitely siblings." David said.

"Okay, okay. Sorry about that." Lann said to the three. "So, whats up? I'm all ears."

"You really are…" Reynn mumbled looking at the fox on Lann's head.

"What?" Lann asked.

"Uh...nevermind. Tell me, have you seen anyone today?" Reynn asked.

"Besides those three customers? Not really." Lann replied. "And I'm looking at you aren't I?"

"Customers? Ah!" Reynn said finally noticing the three. "You three scared me."

"Sorry. Thought we'd stop by while we're here." David said. "I'm David Ishihara. A pleasure."

"I'm Naomi Kirifumi. It's nice to meet you all." Naomi said.

"I'm Reynn. The guy behind the counter is my brother Lann." she said.

"Pleasure. How's the coffee, by the way?" Lann said.

"Lann! Forget the coffee for now, and come with me." Reynn said grabbing Lann. "Excuse us!" she said as she dragged her brother out, but not before David and Naomi eyed strange markings on their arms. One on Reynn's right arm and one on Lann's left.

"Those marks… Just what are they? You saw them, did you?" Naomi asked.

"I sure did. Just what is going on here?" David asked.

"I think that's our cue to follow them out." Naomi said.

"Good idea." David said as the two went after them.

"See? No one here, the place is empty! And that doesn't set off any alarms?" Reynn asked.

"I guess not." Lann said.

"You two really don't remember a thing, do you?" the white-haired girl asked as the two turned to her, David and Naomi.

"What was that?" Reynn asked.

"Reynn, manners." Lann said.

"Oh, sorry." Reynn said. "Look, you three aren't from around town, so I really don't know you all."

"Reynn…" Lann said.

"You really don't remember anything. You may call me Enna...Kros. Enna Kros will do." the customer said.

"Okay, but can you answer my question?" Reynn asked. "We woke up to a ghost town this morning. Do you know why?"

"Yes, you're quite alone. You always have been." Enna said.

"Huh?" Lann asked.

"What is she talking about?" Naomi asked.

"Well, this world is newly-identified, so… Nah, I'm just making speculations." David said.

"This world...it's always been those two. A world without time. One that ended before it began. But don't worry, just because this world ended doesn't mean it's going anywhere. I have been checking on them, they were nothing but blank stares, but I was surprised this morning when Lann took my order." Enna said.

"Okay...now you're scaring me." Reynn said.

"Now that they are awake, we have a story to tell. Which brings us to...Tama!" Enna said.

"Right the here." the fox said jumping off Lann's head.

"What the? Who put that thing on my head?" Lann said.

"You just noticed this now?" Naomi asked in a sweatdrop.

"You take things from here. I'll link up a path." Enna said.

"You the-got it!" Tama said.

"Wha? Hey, you can't just leave!" Reynn said before Enna left, leaving the four with Tama.

"Salu-the-tations! The name is Tama, and I'm the-here to help out. Does anyone have any the-questions?" Tama asked.

"Hmm… wait, I've got tons of questions!" Lann said. "Why were you sitting on my head? And how the honk can a fox even talk?!"

"That's the-seriously the first thing on your mind?" Tama asked. "Now I the-see why Enna Kros was just the-about to throw in the towel."

"We're not allowed to be confused?!" Lann asked.

"Whoa, take it easy there Lann." Reynn butted in.

"Let's start the-over. Let's let the customers lead us back to their the-ship and we can explain everything in front of everyone. I'll even make us some the-coffee." Tama said.

"Wait, you knew that I have a ship parked outside?" David asked.

"I saw it on the way while I was perched on the-Lann's head." Tama said.

"Don't know how he didn't notice it…" Naomi said.

"Still, that sounds like a good idea. There's a lot of people I want to introduce you to." David said.

Back on the Galaxy King, Tama explained everything to the five groups.

"Mirage Keepers?" Hope said.

"Yup! That's exactly what the-Reynn and Lann are!" Tama nodded. "The marks on their arms are proof. They were born to work the-miracles."

"Question! What's a Mirage again?" Eddy asked.

"I think I know, it's the soul of a monster or person given physical form. Something like that right?" Ace said.

"Yeah… hey, wait a second… we saw something like that before." Hope said. "Jexi, David, remember our trip to Tokyo where we got caught up in that adventure in the Idolverse?"

"Not the same thing, I think." David said.

"How could these two not the-remember. They used to command a whole the-legion of living illusions known as Mirages. In the-fact. Even the-Pleid answered to you and they are the seven strongest mirages. With the power, you could have ruled the world." Tama said.

"Maybe it's like you told us what Enna said, David. Since these two are the world and ended with it, and it began anew, it must've caused them to lose their memories." Ace said. "That's probably why they don't remember anything."

"So it's a sort of time loop?" SE said.

"No, I don't think that's the case." Alphamon said.

"If it were a time loop, time would still move on this world...but look." Tails said pointing to a clock that wasn't moving at all. "Time really doesn't exist here."

"So if this is a pocket in time that's not moving at all, then that means there's a world outside of here. And that's where we need to go." Peko theorized.

"That is the strangest theory ever. It doesn't even make any sense. There is no world outside. The world outside is every other world." Tails said.

"And the gate." Tama said.

"And the...huh?" Tails said.

"I will explain the-later. Now I need to the-teach these two how to use Mirages again." Tama said.

"I sense a lesson coming on." ZS said.

"(Now that I think about it. I just realized the Six Heroes are the same as Mirages in a way.)" Ace thought.

"So, how do we use Mirages exactly?" Reynn asked.

"Like the-this!" Tama said presenting Lann with a small glass cube. "This is my own prismarium. You can use it in the-battle."

"Excuse me, battle?" Double D said as a tannish fox appeared.

"I think he means we use Tama in battle against that." Reynn said.

"Are we supposed to fight too? I don't even have a weapon!" Lann said before his mark glowed and a gauntlet with an orange gem in the hand appeared.

"Whoa… That's amazing." Naomi said.

"Guess that's your weapon." Hope said.

"Okay then, let's do this!" Lann gripped his gauntlet as he attacked the new Mirage. It attacked back as Tama got into the battle as well, giving Lann extra abilities as they finished the fight and defeated the enemy.

"See? You are masters of the Mirages." Tama said.

"Dude. Seriously?" Lann asked.

"It's still a little hard to believe." Reynn added.

"I'm sure it is." a voice said as they saw Enna inside the ship. "As far as I can tell, those two have lost everything...all the experience and memories they ever accumulated. Oh...wait. Of course, that would have happened when you and this world were spliced out."

"Spliced out? What do you mean?" Double D asked.

"You mean like it was split off from this world?" Nero asked.

"Oh, so that's why they not only lost their mirages but also their the-memories of the mirages. Also explains why their other memories are un-the-affected." Tama said.

"I know. So strange…" Sachiko said.

"So, what do you mean by spliced out?" Hope asked Enna.

"I'll show you." Enna said as she led them all out into the town and to a strange gate. "This gate leads to another world called Grymoire. That...is where they'll find all the mirages they lost."

"And from what I guess...the other competitors too." Jexi said.

"You mean those people with those creatures? Yes. I told them if they wanted to do battle, it would be better in that world." Enna said.

"Don't know how WE didn't get the memo, but it's best not to split hairs." Naomi said.

"To that end, it's probably best if you come with us, Naomi." Hope said. "If you do, I bet you and Swanna will have a shot at going to the finals."

"Most likely. But the question is, can you fight?" David asked.

"I'll manage with what I can. You don't need to worry about me slowing you guys down." Naomi said.

"In that case… let's get going." Hope said as everyone passed through the gate.


	2. Land of the Lilikin

Traveling through the Gate to Grymoire, the group, along with the Twins and Tama, arrived in a Forest Area.

"So this must be Grymoire." Lann said.

"It must be. Strange to see a world like this. Everything is so different from our last destination." Princess Twilight said.

"Yeah, it's pretty cool alright…" Steven said before looking at the others. "But, um… are you guys okay?"

Most of the group saw a lot of the members, including Lann and Reynn, as chibi sized figures with big heads.

"You tell me." Garnet said nonchalantly as Amythest laughed.

"Uh, No, we're NOT okay!" Pearl snapped.

"Whoa! What happened to you guys?" Ace asked.

"We've been chibi-ed." Rainbow said.

"Do not the-worry. I'm sure this is how everyone in this world must look. Enna Kros just wanted to make sure you the-blended in." Tama said.

"I don't know about you guys, but me and the other Six Heroes are getting a sense of Deja vu." Vargas said.

"Please tell me this lasts forever." Amythest piped in.

"I'm sure we'll return to normal when we leave Grymoire." Jexi said.

"If any of you take pictures of me, I will hunt you down." Emo said coldly.

"I don't know. I think we look kind of cute like this." Sectonia said.

"C-cute?" David asked in a blush.

"S-surely, you jest!" Leopardmon said looking away in a blush.

"Lady Sectonia is right, you all look cute like this." Ace said.

"Dave, are you blushing?" Mark said with a smile on his face.

"S-so what if I am? It's not every day you end up a chibi and called cute." David said flustered.

"This world seems to have some kind of properties with size, keeping us in these forms." Garnet theorized.

"So we're in a situation where the normal laws of stuff don't apply? What kinda world is this?" Kazuichi asked.

"Who cares? It's funny." Amythest said.

"In WHAT way is this funny?!" Pearl asked.

"It's also cute. Besides, it isn't affecting all of us." Starlight said looking at her Raichu.

"Hey, our Pokemon are all normal sized!" Indigo said.

"Huh...guess the rule doesn't apply to them." Jexi said. "Would explain why Enna allowed the competitors in here."

"I dunno about you guys, but this might make fighting things difficult." Akane said. "Is there any way we can, I dunno, change outta these forms or something?"

"Maybe we'll figure it out on the way to that castle." Simon said.

"And...what castle would that be?" Jexi asked as they were only in a forest.

"We should probably focus on getting out of these woods first, and then see about a castle." Hope said.

"Huh?" Lann said as they spotted a yellow bird with an eggshell on its head. "Hello. I spy another mirage."

"That is the called a Chocochick. Go on and imprism the-it." Tama said as Lann ran at it before returning to normal form.

"I see. We can return to normal in this world during battle." Robin said.

"Thank goodness." CP said.

"A weird concept...but it is very convenient." Lemon said.

"Kind of stupid though." Saki said.

"Okay! First, you need to weaken the-it, and then, capture it using a prism!" Tama said.

"Just like catching Pokemon…" Hope muttered.

"Okay...here goes!" Lann said attacking it before hurling a crystal as the chick went inside of it. "Wow...I can see the little thing moving around inside." he said as he returned to chibi form.

"Pretty the-neat huh? And stacking it is just as good." Tama said sitting on top of Lann's head.

"Stacking?" Omnimon asked.

"I see...when you were on Lann's head at the coffee shop, you were stacking." Naomi said.

"That is the-right. Stacking mirages can lead to new abilities and strengths in battle." Tama said.

"Hmm… So switching between forms change stack arrangements for the two of them, therefore adding an extra layer of strategy. Very interesting." Leopardmon said.

"Well in order for them to do that, they would have to change forms outside of battle, right?" Hisui asked.

"He's right. Whichever form they're in will heavily influence the flow of battle." David said.

"I guess the same would go for us, like whichever form we're in would change our fighting style." Spade said.

"However there are the-also instances where there will be very strong Mirages. They have special dimensions called Murkrifts. You have to be very strong to be able to the-imprism them." Tama said.

"Uh... what do these Murkrifts look like?" Mark asked. "Because... I think Lann just jumped into one."

They all saw Lann enter a cube-like space with red eyes.

"Oh, hell no!" Kazuichi said as everyone followed him into a purple dimension that was home to a chibi-like purple beast.

"It's a Behemoth!" Hope said.

"Why did you drag us in here? Why?" Fuyuhiko said as the Behemoth just swiped its claws at them.

A few moments later, the group was spat out of the gate back into Nine Wood Hills.

"Oh no. Did you all get defeated already?" Enna Kros asked.

"Ngh… Is everyone alright?" Omnimon asked.

"No…" Eddy moaned.

"Wait, how are we back here? I'm pretty sure that thing was about to carve us up." Indigo said.

"Because someone whisked you away before you could be attacked." Enna said.

"Well… It was true that we didn't have a lot of time to react." UlforceVeedramon said.

"Yes. And Tama was the one who did it." Enna said.

"That's the right. I have the power to rewind time a little. But I can only do it so many the-times." Tama said.

"You hear that, Mr. Mirage Master? No more leaping before looking." Scarlet said.

"That's right. We should stay away from those Murkrifts until we know what we're up against." David said.

"This is just ridiculous." Ace muttered. "Just...how could a Behemoth wipe us all out in a single blow? I don't get it."

"Because a certain someone thought that it was a good idea to just charge into the damn Murkrift." David said.

"Hey, I was just...curious." Lann said.

"Well you know how "Curiosity killed the Cat" goes right?" Saki asked.

"Well, the cat never dragged others down with him." Emo said. "We got lucky, but your "curiosity" might've gotten someone killed. Think about that, why don't you?"

"Enough, Emo." David said.

"There's a lot about Grymoire we don't understand that's different from our worlds. We have to make sure we know all we can." Mickey said. "The small bodies, the Mirage's… everything."

"Uh...maybe not everything." Dan said. "Huh?" he said seeing a woman in a chocobo dress run by. "Who was that?"

"Oh our new...visitor. She claims to have somehow ended up here." Enna said.

"Not the weirdest thing we've seen today." Maki said.

"Let's see about talking to her." Hope said.

The group then headed to the girl's position in the North Prominent.

"Choco-boco-lina! Oh! Ahem…" the girl said. "Hello and how do you do?"

"Uh...and who are you?" Hope asked.

"You can call me Chocolatte!" she said.

"Wait...I recognize her. It was a little hard to tell but...I think she's from Final Fantasy XIII-2." Rainbow whispered.

"Yeah, I can definitely see the resemblance." David whispered. "Which means...she's opening a shop here."

"Which means quality items for the siblings." Rainbow whispered.

"Well that's lucky." Eddy said.

"Huh, you almost looked like Chocolina for a moment there." Spade said. "Are you a friend of hers by any chance?"

"Spade...she doesn't just look like Chocolina...that is Chocolina." Rainbow whispered.

"But why does she call herself Chocolatte?" Spade whispered back.

"Don't ask me. Maybe she's trying a new name in a new place." Rainbow said.

"She must've travelled a long way from Nova Chrysalia if she decided to set up shop here." Spade said.

"No matter the time period, she always seems to set up shop. That's the weird part, how it seems like she's always there." David said.

"Sorry to bring this up, but I spot a pink fairy floating behind Tama." Eleanor said.

"Huh?" most of the group said before something pulled Tama to the ground.

"Ow. Show yourself! I know it is the-you, Serafie!" Tama said.

"You had it coming." a small fairy like creature said flying down. "You know, when you awakened, you could have woken me up too. I don't remember raising you to be a selfish selfer-poop."

"I don't remember you the-raising me at all!" Tama said.

"Wow… This Serafie girl is more emo than… Well, Emo." David said.

"I heard that, Ice Boy!" Emo said.

"I have a feeling it just adds to her charm." Sectonia said.

"Just who is this chick?" Gray asked.

"Me? Just your normal local wind pixie aka Serafie. My hobbies include gossipmongering and uh...oh I'm also real good at hoarding things too." she said.

"She seems a bit more upbeat than Emogoblin here." Stoj said.

"I heard that too!" Emo said. "Could you maybe NOT insult the guy with 100 magic books?!"

"Emo, Stoj, let's not start a Magic fight here, okay?" Hope asked.

"He's right. So, Serafie, you must have a reason for appearing before us besides telling us who you are." Ace said.

"Right, it's about those prisms you got." Serafie implied.

"What about them?" Lann asked.

"Well, you can't carry so many Mirages at once, right? Thats where this pixie right here comes in. Enna Kros Made me a special Prism case which keeps all captured mirages safe." Serafie explained.

"Long story short, if we need to offload and swap out Mirages, you can help with that." Hope concluded.

"That's right. Enna Kros created a special case to hold all extra prismariums. So any extras you have, I can hold it for ya." Serafie said. "Just plonk the ones you don't need in and yoink the ones you do need out. All plonking and yoinking must be done within the confines of the Nine Wood Hills area or a place with a strong connection. Additional terms, conditions and restrictions may apply."

"I think we got the jist of it." Naomi said. "So, if we want to swap out Mirages, we need to come all the way back here, right?"

"Yes. Also I have a special prismarium that belongs to one of my tribe. Treat it with the same love and affection you give me." Serafie said handing it to Lann.

"Serafie's sort of a special the-case." Tama said.

"At any rate… We should probably head back to Grymoire. I'm kind of curious as to what kind of world it actually is." David said.

"Let's just make sure to stay away from the Murkrift this time." Gallantmon said.

"Agreed." they said.

Approaching the gate, Enna Kros greeted them. "Well...seems you all have the hang of things. So I should be going." Enna said.

"You are the-leaving us?" Tama asked.

"Yes. You handle things now." Enna said.

"No problem. I'll lock this place down like a Malboro's bottle of mouthwash. That's a Serafie guarantee." Serafie said.

"But...where are you going?" Sakura asked.

"Somewhere else of course." Enna said.

"But we have so many questions." Reynn said.

"Now now. You all can figure things out. I can't do everything for all of you." Enna said.

"You've barely done anything." Naomi said.

"Thing is each world has its own set of rules such as water dousing fire and light banishing darkness." Enna said.

"So basically...you can't help us because it violates certain rules of this world." Hope said.

"Exactly." Enna said.

"But...that's crazy. Just...who are you?" Lann said.

"Who am I? Well...I'm god." Enna said before light surrounded her as she vanished.

"A god? We didn't realize it until now?" Hope asked.

"Does it really matter?" Saki asked.

"Kinda." Hope said.

"We can worry about that later. Shall we head back to Grymoire?" Ace asked.

"Good idea, it's best we continue on." Hope said.

The group soon entered the gate and found themselves back in Grimoire in their chibi forms.

"Still so weird to get used to this." Hope said.

"Well….we gotta make do with it. Cause I get the feeling we have a long journey ahead of us." Jexi said.

"Right! But we should be fine as long as we ignore those boss Mirage rifts." Eddy said.

"Murkrifts and yes. Let's go." David said.


	3. Foretold by Prophecy

Upon their return to Grymoire after a bit of walking, the group soon came across train tracks with a train soon coming to a stop before them.

"There's even a train here, cool." Hope said.

"Hey, I just thought of something. Can't most of us fly?" Eddy said.

"Hey, you know what they say, getting there is half the fun!" Connie replied.

"You guys want to fly all the way there? Good luck." Naomi said.

"What do you mean?" Mark asked. "I haven't seen a thing in the sky, not even a bird."

"True but things could be hidden higher in the sky...like perhaps a ferocious dragon that would gobble up anything flying in its path." Robin said with a giggle.

"Man, Robin can be quite scary when she wants to be." Sachiko said.

"Y'know, I'd like to point out that we fought Frieza and didn't die, but whatever." Eddy said under his breath.

The group got on the train as it took off down the tracks.

"Wow, this train's pretty nice." Gemini said.

"I agree." Rias added. "The decor is quite lovely."

As soon as the group took their seats, they saw a white mage and black mage running down the car laughing before…

"Tickets please." a voice said as they saw a cactus like creature in a conductor's cap.

"A Cactuar." Spade said.

"I indeedily needily am a Cactuar but I'm also the conductor for this train I ask...tickets please." he said.

"Wait... did we even get tickets?" Mark asked.

"They are right the-here." Tama said showing them.

"Ooh. Semi-lifetime passes. Haven't seen those in awhile. Enjoy the ride." the cactuar said before moving on.

"Enna Kros gave me everything we would ever the-need." Tama said.

"She's really thought of everything, hasn't she?" Mayumi asked.

"Semi-Lifetime? I don't even know what that's supposed to mean." Kaede asked.

"It's basically half of your whole life span." Ace said.

"It can mean anything, as far as we're concerned." Leia said.

"By the way, Naomi, there's something I've been curious about." David said. "Before you got here...how many tokens do you have?"

"4. Kuvira and her Earth Empire kept causing widespread panic across the entire world and all potential challengers kept being chased away." Naomi said.

"Well that world is safe now. Cause we stopped her." Hope said.

"Still, you're only at the halfway point. You've got a lot of ground to cover before you make it to the finals." Leopardmon said. "But, I'm very certain that you would make it there, considering how deep your bond is with Swanna."

"Wow, uh… Thanks, I guess." Naomi said.

"Yeah, Leopardmon may seem snarky most of the time when he's not coming up with strategies, but he's a good guy to have around when it matters." Gallantmon said.

"So, David...just curious. But how do you and her even know each other?" Indigo asked.

"A classmate of mine, just like Sachiko. Her family runs a vet clinic outside of town, and our non-human members tend to check up there after missions when they suffer lasting injuries." David said.

"And considering the business he runs, it happens quite a lot." Naomi said.

"Hold on...vet clinic?" Alkal asked. "Like...was it a special clinic, or were their actual pets there too?"

"A little bit of both, actually. You know how crazy things tend to get around Tokyo. Can't even last a day without it suffering some kind of attack from some otherworldly force." Naomi said. "Though, that might be a bit of an exaggeration."

"No, that was almost spot on from our experience seeing it." Jexi said. "Especially with the recent World of Light thing we tackled."

"That's for sure." David said.

"I'm just glad that whole song and dance is over and we're able to enjoy this tournament and new adventures." Hope said.

"Speaking of...those highlighters that Magenta Voice mentioned...I've been doing some digging on some of them." Tails said.

"Yeah?" Moltar said "Did you find anything interesting?"

"There are a few tough customers here. Night is definitely one of the top three to go all the way." Tails said.

"That's for sure. I mean, a Darkrai of all things? Sca-ry!" Zelos said.

"The other two up there. One of them is Yellow Shocker. An idol from the Idol Universe. He's an actor in superhero action shows. His link is Zeraora." Tails said.

"Zeraora? We don't know a lot about that. It would be interesting to see in action." Tsumugi said.

"I have some info on it. Bzzt! Zeraora, the Thunderclap Pokemon! An Electric type! It electrifies its claws and tears its opponents apart with them. Even if they dodge its attack, they'll be electrocuted by the flying sparks." Rotomdex said.

"Almost like Orchid's Fire Cat." Al said.

"A fierce combo. What about the other one?" Hope asked.

"He's a competitor from a recently created universe. Esp from the Psychic Universe." Tails said.

"A new one?" Hope asked. "How is that...oh right. I wished for two new universes every year."

"According to his file. Esp is skilled with psychic powers but excels with memory manipulation. His link is Beheeyem." Tails said.

"Beheeyem, that's a real heavy hitter in the Psychic type department...I think." Hope said.

"Okay. Here we go. Bzzt! Beheeyem, the Cerebral Pokemon and the evolved form of Elgyem! A Psychic Type! It has strong psychic powers. Using its fingers that flash three different colors, it controls its opponents and rewrites their memories." Rotomdex said.

Sachiko shivers at the mention of rewriting memories with Crusadermon comforting her of the incident.

Ace and Spade stayed silent at the mention of it as they thought back to what happened in Hyrule.

"Well...wouldn't be the first time we dealt with memory manipulation." Ulrich said.

"Yeah. First time was in Castle Oblivion. That's a place we'd rather forget." Dan said.

"Attention passengers, we are approaching Cornelia!" the cactuar said.

"(Cornelia? It can't be the same Cornelia, can it?)" Spade thought.

"(Cornelia? That takes me back… Back when I still played the very first Final Fantasy.)" David thought.

"Whoa… wow! Look at this!" Gemini said as everyone looked at a large castle town straight ahead.

"It IS Cornelia!" Hope said.

"Yet it also isn't." Spade said.

"So it seems." David said.

"This is weird." Mari said before seeing red cap goblins approach.

"What are those things?" Erica asked.

"I don't know, but they seem to be leading the goblins here. As soon as we get off, we check what that's about." David said.

"Definitely." Maya said.

The quintet of groups with the twins exited the train and confronted the goblins.

"Guess we're going Goblin Slayer." ZS said. "Get ready, everyone!"

"Look! Some travelers are taking on the Mirages from the Bahamutian Army!" one civilian called before they saw them return to normal size. "What… they're Jiants?!"

"Bahamutian?" Ace asked.

"I'm guessing these guys." Hope said.

"And we're "Jiants" apparently." Mark added.

"Save the theories for later!" David said.

"Right, I don't know who these Bahamutian guys are, but they're giving Bahamut a bad name." Al said.

"Then let's show em who they're messing with." Gemini said attacking some of the goblins with her sword.

"Fire Storm!" Vargas called out as a pillar of fire erupted underneath one of them.

"Prepare yourself!" CP said as he kicked one of the goblins in the face.

"Go and die!" Bakugo shouted hitting several of them with an explosion.

After that bit of fighting, the goblins all ran off in fear.

"How odd, when Lann tried to imprism one of them, it failed. Could it have to do with those chains that appeared attached to the goblins?" Tsuki said.

"It wasn't just the chains… There was a sort of aura surrounding them as well." Leopardmon said.

"If that's the case, then it looks like they're being controlled by someone else, I think." David said.

"Seems the twins aren't the only Mirage Keepers in this world." Corona said.

"Excuse me." A voice called out as the group turned to see a pink haired girl. "But you all...you aren't from this world are you?"

"Was it that easy to tell?" David asked.

"She's dead on. And me and my sister are Mirage Keepers too." Lann said.

"Lann!" Reynn said.

"What? Obviously we exude awesomeness." Lann said.

"Well... you're getting there." Emo said.

"My apologies. I thought you all might have been spies sent by Bahamut." she said.

"We are no spies, we assure you. Just a band of travelers. Or...several bands, if you'd like." Alphamon said.

"We must continue this conversation in Cornelia Castle." she said.

"But of course. Lead the way." Omnimon said.

At Cornelia Castle…

The group entered the castle doors as they saw the same woman dressed up in royal robes.

"Hello. Welcome to the Kingdom of Cornelia. I am Princess Sarah." she said.

"Just as I thought." Spade said.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance." Alphamon said as he and the other Royal Knights except UlforceVeedramon bowed.

"Um… What's going on here?" UlforceVeedramon asked before he was smacked. "Ow!"

"She is of royalty. Show some courtesy." Dynasmon said.

"I got it, I got it." UlforceVeedramon said bowing as well.

"Princess Sarah… this world is full of chibi Final Fantasy characters." Hope whispered to Rainbow.

"No kidding." Rainbow said.

"So, your Majesty, what do you wish to tell us?" Sir Saiyan asked.

"At first, I thought you were agents sent here by Bahamut but I was wrong. You all fought bravely to protect our town. You have my thanks as well as all of Cornelia." Sarah said.

"It was nothing, Princess. We always do what we can to help the people in our travels." David said.

"Uh...thanks but we didn't do anything that outstanding." Reynn said.

"We were pretty much the instanding type." Lann said.

"I'm pretty sure in the-standing is not a real the-word." Tama said.

'Hahaha. Oh, forgive me. It's just hard to believe these twins are the stuff of prophecy." Sarah said.

"Prophecy? What are you talking about?" Izuku asked.

"If you would permit me, I will explain from the beginning. See, Cornelia is an unfederated state midway up Grymoire. The majority of Grymoire's countries and municipalities have annexed themselves to the Bahamutian Federation, under the rule of Brandelis, the Herald King. Cornelia, however, has been able to maintain its sovereignty. The Federation has made attempts to erode this countless times. But we held our grand. And now Bahamut has taken to armed provocation." Sarah said.

"The Mirage attack." Law said.

"Okay...why does this Herald King want Cornelia so badly?" CP asked.

"And more importantly, where does this prophecy factor in?" Iida asked.

"It goes as such. When time begins its march anew, they shall return as visitors. Jiants from the Hills, a land beyond our own. Upon Grymoire, they will carve two divergent paths, one of salvation and one of ruin. A statement to boggle the greatest of minds." Sarah said.

"So you're saying that Reynn and Lann are the center of the fate of this world?" Hope asked.

"Yep. That's pretty much it in a nutshell." Naomi said.

"Wow. No pressure." Emo said before David smacked him. "Ow!"

"Do I have to remind you that you're in the presence of royalty? Show some respect." David said.

"Hey, it's true!" Emo said. "Besides, we still have to find some other competitors for CP."

"That's the part of this you're focused on? You're impossible, you know that?" David asked.

"Ignoring those two for a moment... Princess, does this prophecy really determine the fate of both worlds, because we don't really have a good track record when it comes to prophecies." Sectonia said.

"Yeah...we're more akin to destroying or altering them then fulfilling them." Jexi said.

"I see. Well, fact of the matter is this federation controls almost all the Mirages in Grymoire, enough to have their whole army of them." Sarah said.

"Ah, that explains the chains." Double D said.

"King Brandelis's Herald lieutenants, known as Segwarides and Pellinore, command all of Grymoire's Mirages with the same authority as the Queen of Keepers in ages past." Sarah said.

"So in short, it's either their way or the highway. Geez, who would have thought it. Though given how they just attacked, it's not much of a surprise they would be a dictatorship." Erza said.

"And seeing as though we just repelled an attack… We're basically the Empire's enemies now…" Francisca said.

"One question though, why are they called the Bahamutian army?" Siegfried asked.

"Because it is ruled by Bahamut." Sarah said.

"I see." Ace said.

"Alright!" Ed yelled. "The Mighty Hero Alliance begins its quest to save the world of Grymoire!"

"You know, Eds got the right idea. We can't leave this world in jeopardy. So, while we're here, we might as well give the people here a hand." Hope said.

"Are your companions always like as I see them now?" Sarah asked.

"Apparently so, Princess. But, they tend to provide some interesting banter." Leopardmon said.

"But even so, they have a point. As the Royal Knights, we can't just leave things as they are." Omnimon said.

"Do you have an idea of where we can go from here, Lady Sarah?" Ace asked.

"We just need to gather stronger Mirages." Lann said.

"If that is the case, the Nether Nebula should be a good place to start. It is a cave home to a vast quantity of powerful Mirages." Sarah said.

"Nether Nebula eh? Thanks, we'll check it out." Hope said.

"Please let us know if something's come up and we'll rush right back, Lady Sarah." Spade said.

"Yeah! Let's go!" ZS said before stopping. "Er... which way is the Nether Nebula?"

"It's really not like there's directions or anything…" Hope said.

"It's just north of Cornelia. You cannot miss it." Sarah said.

"Right. Thank you, your eminence." Shun said.

"You were saying?" ZS asked Hope.

"Right, sorry." Hope said. "Shall we get going?"

"Yes. Onward!" Corona called.


	4. Old Acquaintances

After a bit of travelling, the group made it to the Nether Nebula.

"Well we're here." Rainbow said. "And there are definitely some strong Mirages here."

"Agreed. We should probably approach with caution." Moltar added.

"Whoa...look at these." Wendy said as they saw deep claw marks within the stone walls of the cave.

"These claw marks." Ace said as he traced his hand over them. "Nothing I've ever seen before."

"I'm thinking...they were caused by a Pokemon." Sci-Twi said looking around the corner to see many knocked out competitors.

"Well, somebody's been busy." Rin said.

"Busy? I think they might've gone overboard." Naomi said.

"I don't think they did this to themselves." Ace said.

"Hey...who did this?" Starlight asked one of the competitors who slowly regained their consciousness.

"It was...a three way attack. Yellow Shocker, Punke and Fro." they said before passing out.

"Those three...they were mentioned in the highlights." Tails said.

"Three of them? This isn't good." David said.

"Naomi, didn't you say that you have three tokens left before you advance to the finals?" Magnamon asked.

"I did. But if they're as good as mentioned, then I obviously can't take them on by myself." Naomi said.

"Tell me...are they still in the cave?" Starlight asked.

"Fro and Punke left as soon as they qualified. While Yellow Shocker also does, he is still here. He went further in...said he wanted to see...them." the competitor said before passing out again.

"(Them… I have a good feeling who…)" David thought.

"If he's still here, we can see about winning a token off him." Hope said.

"Great idea!" CP said. "Naomi and I can take turns battling him!"

"Not the best idea." Hope said. "Magenta Voice said Yellow Shocker and Zeraora have an undefeated streak in tag battles. So I think he knows his way around a fight."

Naomi looked nervous, knowing Swanna wouldn't last long against an Electric-type, let alone a Pokemon she's never seen before.

"I see... well, he hasn't battled us yet!" CP responded. "Even if I lose, I'll still have fun! That's the point of the whole tournament, is it not?"

"You're always so stoic, Parkour…" Gemini smiled. "Alright, we'll give fighting him a shot, but no chance he'll go down easy."

They headed further down the caves before entering a sealed off area where three large crystals stood. One of ice, one of fire and one surging with electricity.

"Those crystals...could it be?" Ace said.

"Gotta be. Vargas, Eze, Selena, you better hang back." Hope said.

"Not so fast! I was here first!" a voice boomed as they looked to a high cliff and saw a figure standing there before jumping to the ground. "Born from the lightnings and thunders of history! He comes crashing to the ground like a meteor, arriving just as fast as electricity! Yellow Shocker...jolts into battle!" he said posing.

"I like him already!" CP said.

"No doubt Heart would too if he saw this guy." Hope said. "So we finally meet, Yellow Shocker."

"Finally meet...ah I see...it all becomes clear...you all are part of the Rainbow Brigade fan club." he said.

"What's this guy talking about?" David asked.

"I have no idea. He's probably confused us for someone else." Ace said.

"Rainbow Brigade...ah. Here we go. According to the universal records, they're an action hero show group from the Idol Universe. It happens to be the same group Yellow Shocker is part of." Tails said.

"Huh. Kinda makes sense when you think about it." David said.

"Sorry, but I'm afraid we're not part of that fan club. We haven't even heard about you until just a few moments ago." Yoko said.

Yellow Shocker stood there for a few moments before collapsing. "So sad, you all live too sad lives not to know us."

"Uh… Not really, but it depends on who you're talking to." David said.

"Wait...I think this has another explanation...you all are competitors aren't you? Geez...you all must be eager to fight me...but I dunno. I already qualify and if we fight I might just cause more harm to you than good." Yellow Shocker pondered.

"Honestly, we're not sure how to tangle with Zeraora either. We haven't even heard of that Pokemon before." David said, looking to Naomi. "Uh, Naomi? Are you okay? You seem nervous. Don't worry. You don't have to fight this guy. You can wait until the next one."

"If that is the case, than I, Captain Parkour, shall fight! What say you, Naomi?" the hero asked.

"Oh...you sure you wanna fight? Cause I'll be honest...just from looking at you...you'll be put down pretty fast." Yellow Shocker said.

"Funny. The last criminal who said that...ended up in the prison hospital." CP said. "But seriously, it doesn't matter if I win or lose. I'm here to have fun fighting new opponents!"

"Fair enough. I need a warm up before I face the three here. Hey, buddy. We're on!" Yellow Shocker said as jumping down beside him was a cat like creature with sharp claws and yellow fur.

"Whoa, look at that!" Gemini said.

"So that's Zeraora." Hope said.

"Zeraora." Orchid said.

"Okay...let's get this started then. Don't keep me waiting." Yellow Shocker said.

"Very well. Hitmonlee, prepare for battle!" CP said, releasing his Perfect Link. "The Hero of the Urban Jungle... Captain Parkour is ready!"

The duo charged at the idol universe duo.

"Well...it's that time again." Yellow Shocker said before rubbing his hands together as the others saw electricity gathering around him. "Each universe has developed powers so they can defend themselves. Magic Universe has magic, Darkness Universe has curses...as for us in the Idol Universe. The power we use... is Talent!" he said before punching CP in the chest as Zeraora did the same to Hitmonlee, unleashing a large surge of electricity into both of them.

"What…" CP said as he coughed blood as he and his link were pushed back. "That was some strength!"

"That was some power… almost like the powers of the Idolverse." Hope said.

"Sorry but no. Talent is a power unique to the Idol Universe. See, the reason Idols want to be famous is cause it increases not just their spirits but the power of our Talents." Yellow Shocker said.

"That explains all the others that were knocked out on the way here…" Yoko said.

"I did say I would end up putting you in traction. Sorry but even I can't really control the power I have from my Talent." Yellow Shocker said.

"I'm not done yet!" CP said as he took out a razor projectile and threw it at Shocker.

"Bad move." Yellow Shocker said. "Metallic... Charger!" he said punching the projectile as it shot back at CP, shocking him upon impact.

"Huh. So that won't work. Good to know." CP said as the electricity dissipated.

"Yeah...I can't really touch metal or else I'll cause it to charge with electricity and send it back." Yellow Shocker said.

"Even so... there's something you haven't accounted for." CP said. "Haven't you noticed that I haven't been screaming from your electric shocks?"

"You mean cause of your high tolerance for it right? Well...there's also something you failed to realize...the rules." Yellow Shocker said as CP saw Hitmonlee struggling as Zeraora continued to dominate.

"Eep! I'll save you my friend!" CP said as he rushed up to Zeraora and kicked him in the face.

"Bad move." Yellow Shocker said as Zeraora absorbed the electricity built up in CP.

"...Ah. So I was a battery? Well then… time to even the playing field! Parkour Course!" CP and Zeraora then disappeared as a cube took their place.

"Poor idiot." Yellow Shocker said as each of his attacks on Zeraora only charged the creature. "See...Zeraora's ability is called Volt Absorb. Meaning it gains energy each time electricity hits it. What your friend didn't realize is that the reason he wasn't screaming wasn't just cause of tolerance but all the electricity building up inside. My Talent is called Charge. I can turn anything I hit into a battery. All my attacks...were just filling him with power for my partner." he said as the cube shattered as Zeraora was uppercutting CP.

"... You do realize CP is wearing a rubber suit, right?" Emo said from the sidelines.

"I knew. But while electricity doesn't normally conduct in rubber, my power bypasses the natural laws of electricity thanks to my fans. Now...even rubber can act like a battery." Yellow Shocker said.

"I... can't lose… I can...still fight!" CP said.

"Sorry...but things were over when you challenged us. Time we finished things. Zeraora...Close Combat. As for me….Charge….Blitz!" Yellow Shocker said as both dealt finishing blows to the duo. "Whew...that was fun."

"I can't believe it… The Captain lost…" Alkaline said.

"Hey...good one." Yellow Shocker said placing a token near CP. "Let's do it again sometime. Could use a workout like that sometime." he said heading out.

"Wait… Why did you give him your token? You won, didn't you?" David asked.

"I already qualified. There wouldn't be a point taking his. Plus I racked up a lot of extra from that group that tried to ambush me and those other two. Gotta get rid of them somehow." Yellow Shocker said.

Meanwhile, the captain layed on the ground... and started laughing. "I knew it was a long shot... but still... I had fun! This showed that I still have the ability to learn! I swear... I'll prove I have what it takes...to stand among legends!"

"Wait, I thought there was something you wanted to do here." Hope said.

"Huh? Oh that. Nah. Once I unleash my Talent like that, I feel a little drained so I'm gonna be going. I just wanted to see the Pleid members anyway." he said walking off.

"Pleid? That sounds important." Jude said.

Though Yoko was smiling, she couldn't help but feel uneasy about Yellow Shocker's power.

"Something up, Yoko?" Kaede asked.

"I'm alright. I was just a little uneasy about his power." Yoko said.

"Ah, that's right. You mentioned that your goal is to become an idol singer, correct?" Craniamon asked.

"Yes. And that's why I felt uneasy. If I was subjected to the same things as him, I wonder if I'd be able to control my power." Yoko said. "It doesn't exactly help that Zenji's materia grants me Synchronization."

"Synchronization?" Jesmon asked.

"It's a power that allows her to copy the abilities of others." Hope said.

"Though not all of them." Al said.

"Right. Some abilities require certain conditions to be met, such as equipping a certain kind of weapon." Leopardmon said.

"But you shouldn't let that discourage you, Yoko. Being able to copy other people's abilities is an impressive skill on its own." Craniamon said.

"Craniamon is right. So, don't worry too much about it. Yellow Shocker mentioned that the whole Talent gimmick is Idol Universe exclusive, so you don't have to worry about it, even when you become a great Idol Singer." David said.

"David… Craniamon… Everyone, thank you." Yoko said. "Once we leave this cave, I have a lot of work to do."

"But...before that." David said as the group faced the crystals.

The crystals glowed as three figures materialized from them, one was a woman with ice blue skin and hair in a ponytail, the second looked like a djinn with burning red hair, and the final figure was a dark skinned man in robes with yellow hair holding a staff.

"I can barely believe my eyes…" Naomi said looking at them. "Shiva, Ifrit, Ramuh… They're all here!"

"I'm not gonna lie... this is freaking awesome!" Emo said, practically squealing.

"Ooh, I expected some foolhardy adventurers with a terminal case of curiosity." Ramuh said.

"What's this?" Ifrit asked.

"Well, look who's back." Shiva said turning her attention to Reynn and Lann.

"Ah, the half pints! Hail and well met!" Ifrit greeted.

"You know them?" Mark asked the twins.

"Uh...maybe?" Lann said.

"Right, amnesia." Scarlet said. "Uh, Mr. Ifrit? Care to explain how you know these two?"

"Silence, you. Now we establish a new pecking order." Ifrit said.

"I see Ifrit's still hot blooded." Ace said.

"Now now. There is a much better way to settle this. Choose one of us to fight against and we will have the chosen one fight." Ramuh said.

"Just one? Are you sure?" Francisca asked.

"We are sure. No need to be shy. Just pick one of us." Shiva said.

"Are we allowed to help them?" Ace asked.

"No, this is a test only for the Mirage Keepers." Ramuh said.

"Makes sense when you think about it." David said.

"Okay then. Uh...the ice chick then?" Lann asked.

"Oh ho ho. You two are gonna be shivering from my Diamond Dust." Shiva said.

"Good luck, kids." Moltar said to the twins.

"No pressure. You can handle this." Naomi said.

"Right. Well...here goes." Lann said as he and Reynn went against Shiva.

"How about this?" Shiva asked. "Diamond Dust!" she called unleashing her signature attack from the get go.

"Diamond Dust already?" David asked.

"Didn't think she'd use it right from the start." Ace said.

"If she's using ice then… Lann!" Reynn called.

"Got it!" Lann said holding Tama up. "Let's try this!"

Tama glowed as fire shot out and hit Shiva as she took damage, the twins barely avoided Shiva's ultimate attack with minimal damage done.

"Now I've gotcha! Foxfire!" Lann called shooting another fire attack.

"Blizzard!" Shiva called firing back as the two attacks cancelled out each other.

"(The good thing is, this Shiva doesn't know Heavenly Strike.)" Ace thought.

The battle continued on for awhile until Shiva and the twins exhausted each other in a stalemate.

"Enough. I've seen my fill for one day." Ramuh cut in.

"What is your verdict?" Eze asked.

"They still have some growing up to do before they can wield us again." Ifrit said.

"It was fun for what it was worth though." Shiva added.

"Yes, it was quite the battle." Atro said.

"So long, heroes. We shall meet again." Ramuh said.

"Our paths may cross before you know it." Ifrit added.

"Bye bye for now." Shiva said as the three disappeared.

"Well that was something…" Hope said.

"They almost reminded me of our original selves." Selena said.

"True. But the big difference is you're the Six Heroes, and they're the original Eidolons." Ichiro said.

"Ichiro… You know they were Eidolons too at one point, right?" Mayumi asked.

"Exactly. If the connection was found out, there would be problems that would complicate things greatly. I say we keep Eze, Selena and Vargas's identities as their reincarnations a secret from them." Ichiro said.

"Agreed." Francisca said.

"They will sense their power eventually. Shall we move on?" Ace said.

"Yes. Let's get moving." David said.

"Back to town...then back to our journey." Jexi said.

"Sounds fair enough. Let's get going." Hope said.


	5. A Legendary Warrior

With their task in the Nether Nebula done, the group came with Lann and Reynn back to Nine Wood Hills to stock up on supplies and learn about Wind Ways from Serafie, which according to her can allow them to travel back to any location they visited. They used this to return to Cornelia.

"We should check in with Princess Sarah while we're here." Hope said.

"Seems we'll have a few uninvited guests incoming." X said.

"Goblin mirages!" Gemini said seeing them climb the cliffs.

"We need to get to the castle, quick!" Spade said as the group quickly headed to Cornelia Castle.

Upon arriving, they saw the goblins building a castle nearby.

"If they've established their camp so close to Cornelia, then that means they intend to wipe us out once and for all." Sarah theorized.

"Not if we can help it. If we take down their leader, the rest of them will retreat." Ace said.

"Yeah, that should do it." Lann said.

"I admire your strategy, but Cornelia does not simply have the manpower." Sarah explained.

"Not a problem. If you can buy us some time, we can sneak into their camp and take out their leader." Hope said. "David, up for a little stealth op?"

"Stealth? I'm a little worried about you on that front." David said.

"Maybe I should go with you just to make sure things run smoothly." Gallantmon said.

"I can make you invisible so you don't have to worry about being spotted." Emo offered.

"Thanks, but no. I think the three of us can handle this." David said. "Meanwhile, everyone else fights off the hordes outside. Leopardmon, can I trust you to work the ground team?"

"Of course. Leave it to me." Leopardmon said.

"Leopardmon? You sure?" Magnamon asked. "I-I'm not doubting his abilities or anything, but… he's never worked with a force...this big."

"But you guys have worked with the Dimensional Heroes before, right? That means you more or less have a handle on their techniques." David said.

"True, but they've clearly changed since then. What if he's unable to account for the changes that have occured in them since then?" Magnamon asked.

"Well, I guess we're just gonna have to wing it." Eddy said. "Hasn't failed us yet...too badly."

"I think he can handle it." Omnimon said. "His strategies have always pulled through when it counted. And judging from the time they have spent together, it's a sign that they trust each other."

"Time they spent together?" Naomi asked.

"A few years ago, the Royal Knights once worked with the Dimensional Heroes up until Ylisse when they went into a deep sleep after the defeat of the Fell Dragon, Grima." Roy said.

"However, a certain organization, which I probably shouldn't mention, brought them back to life and manipulated them into digitizing Tokyo. We were able to resolve the situation while at the same time sparing them, but it was far from easy." Sachiko said.

"That itself surprises me. Leopardmon has never interacted with anyone more than necessary." Crusadermon said.

"I guess there's something about the kid that just clicked with him." Sans suggested.

"Might be the fact they're both strategists. Or their time in that band of his." Tapu Fini said.

"Either way, the two seem to trust each other quite a bit." Shuichi said. "I'd say there's nothing to worry about."

"Then what're we waiting for?!" Undyne shouted. "Let's go!"

And so, while the rest of the group attacked the camp from the front, David, Hope and Gallantmon snuck into the camp.

"So far, so good…" David said.

"Yeah. So far we haven't encountered any enemies." Hope said.

"It's like they didn't think of keeping anyone behind to guard it." Gallantmon said.

"I'm not gonna lie… It kinda makes me feel uneasy." David said.

"Relax. It's just a horde of goblins, there's no way they can do anything like set up an ambush." Gallantmon said.

At that exact moment, a group of goblins jumped out of hiding and surrounded the trio.

"Well, there's your ambush." David said.

"We'd better take 'em out before they alert the camp." Hope said.

"I've got this." Gallantmon said. "Shield of The Just!" he called firing a beam which wiped out the goblins.

"Nice one, Gallantmon." David said.

"Thanks. Now, let's get moving before more show up." Gallantmon said.

The trio continued on, eventually reaching a location where they saw Lann and Reynn overlooking a cliff.

"Lann, Reynn? Shouldn't you be with the others?" Hope asked.

"Well, we were. Then we saw Princess Sarah go deeper into the camp and we followed her." Reynn said.

"Yeah, followed her where she's… about to be swatted down by a giant Goblin?! Oh, honk!" Lann realized seeing a massive goblin.

"That's a big Goblin. I'm guessing that's the leader." David said.

"No doubt." Hope said as a guard saved her from being crushed.

"Nice save." David said.

The large goblin went to attack again, but then Lann and Reynn's arms glowed and two orbs shot to the guard, changing him into another familiar face.

"Is that...The Warrior of Light?" Hope asked.

"Looks like it." David said.

With ease, the transformed Warrior of Light downed the goblin off the cliff as the others came down.

"What was that just now?" Hope said.

"Incredible, they have the power to awaken mediums into Champions." Princess Sarah awed.

"Guess that's another thing Mirage Keepers are capable off. Cool." Hope said before he saw the Big Goblin recovering as a knight in dark armor came up. "Guess it still wants more. Gallantmon, you wanna take this one?"

"Of course." Gallantmon said stepping up. "I am Gallantmon of the Royal Knights. If you retreat now, I may spare your life."

The goblin and the knight stared at each other before attacking Gallantmon anyway.

"Don't say I didn't warn you. Spiral Saber!" Gallantmon called as a fiery tornado forms with him spinning in it.

Both enemies buffeted against the attack as the big goblin countered the attack and clashed with Gallantmon.

"Ngh… Think you're tough, are you? Lightning Joust!" Gallantmon called as a strong blow is dealt from his lance. The goblin however manages to intercept the attack and deal a blow of its own.

"(This isn't good… If I keep fighting like this… I'll end up dying again.)" Gallantmon thought. "(I've been spared in Tokyo because of these people… When Arata was under the influence of the Eaters, it was Ace, going along with David's plan, that saved me from suffering that fate. Omnimon… Magnamon… Everyone… I can't… I can't let any of them die! Huh? Th-this is…!)" He thought as a light started shining on him.

(Cue- Will Power- Persona 5)

"That light… What's happening?!" David asked.

"That's… It can't be…!" Omnimon said.

Gallantmon was soon enveloped in a bright light as his armor starts changing. When the light fades, Gallantmon's armor was now brighter, his shield was rounder and coated in red, blue and gold, and his lance was now a sort of beam saber.

"Whoa, Gallantmon, Look at you!" Hope breathed in awe.

"What the heck… What am I even seeing?" David asked.

"Wait...I...I think I remember Tails saying something about this. Some sort of...dormant power within some of the Royal Knights when he checked them over. Some kind of...antibody." Hope said.

"Antibody? Omnimon, you said something about this just now. What's he talking about?" David asked.

"I'll explain it in detail later." Omnimon said.

"Now then… Let's see how the two of you fare against me now." Gallantmon said. "Lightning Joust!" he called as a blast of lightning was launched from his lance.

The lighting hit the two enemies, super effectively damaging them.

"Whoa… His attacks are a lot stronger than before." David said.

"Now, for the finishing blow. Zieg Saber!" Gallantmon called as the beam from his lance grew longer as he struck.

The goblin was slain with just the one strike as the attack even reached to the soldier as it fell over.

"Oh geez. I think we went too far." Hope said running over. "Sir are you...what? This...this guy isn't even human!" he said seeing nothing in where the head should be in the helmet with darkness leaking from the body.

"This dark aura… What is that?" Gallantmon asked.

"Don't know. Whatever it is, it can't be good." David said.

"We should bring this up with the others. They'll want to hear this." Gallantmon said as he reverted.

With the goblin leader defeated, the goblins began to retreat as the assault team reconvened with the others.

"So the soldier wasn't even human. It's possible this army is creating artificial soldiers to control the mirages so the commanders don't have to be there." Jeremie said.

"Which means the Keepers can't earn the Mirages." Mark added.

"Not true. Seems those fake soldiers keep the mirages in check. With that one gone, it seems the goblins are staying close but are now in a wild state." Tails said.

So the more Artificial Soldiers we eliminate, the more mirages the Twins can retake." Ace said.

"That's basically it in a nutshell." David said. "But the one thing that concerned me back there was Gallantmon's new form. Omnimon, you said something about this earlier. Did you have some sort of experience with this phenomenon?"

"In a way. Long ago, the Digital World was reaching its maximum capacity and was getting overpopulated." Omnimon said. "As a means of fixing that problem, King Drasil initiated the X-Program, which was set to wipe out 98% of its residents." Omnimon said.

"And let me guess, he left the task to you guys." Mayumi said.

"That's right. Those that survived were moved to a new Digital World while the old one was destroyed." Omnimon said. "However, there were some that were able to resist the X-Program and went to the new world. Those Digimon have developed an immunity called the X-Antibody."

"X-Antibody?" Vera asked.

"It works a lot like the transformations you're all used to. Their appearances change and their attacks become stronger." Omnimon said. "This was only made possible when their DigiCores were changed."

"So that's why Gallantmon is able to use it now? Did the All Science Go Corporation change his DigiCore upon rematerialization?" Sachiko asked.

"Most likely. And judging from Tails' analysis, it's not just him." Alphamon said.

"That's right. Aside from Examon, Gankoomon and Alphamon, the rest have them." Tails said.

"Fascinating. This is some pretty amazing info." Peridot-2 said.

"Gankoomon and Examon, I can understand since they're powerful enough without it, but why not Alphamon?" Ryoma asked.

"Because I'm already a natural carrier of the X-Antibody. There wouldn't be any point in changing my DigiCore." Alphamon said.

"Ah, that makes sense." Hope said.

"What's our next course of action?" Ace asked.

"Well...seeing as how these Champions from other Final Fantasy games exist...I think we should form some alliances with other nations." Rainbow said.

"Well...there has been talk of a large resistance group. You could possibly get into contact by heading to Saronia." Warrior of Light said.

"Saronia...like from Final Fantasy III." Rainbow said.

"I guess that's where we're going." Himiko said.

"Let's go then." Marino said.


	6. The Champion who saved Grymoire

Traveling to Saronia, the group left by train and went as far as they could go to the next country until stopping in an area called the Pyreglow Forest.

"This is as far as the train takes us. We're gonna have to go by foot the rest of the way." Hope said.

"Yep, looks like it. But nothing wrong with going on foot." Nagito said.

As they traveled through the forest, Rainbow couldn't help but look around.

"This place sorta reminds me of Deep Jungle, with all the trees and everything." Rainbow said.

"Really? I think it's really pretty. Especially with these plants so bioluminescent." Naomi said.

"Not to mention some of it looks like it's made of crystal." Garr said.

"Wait...I think I see something up ahead." Usopp said as they saw a large lake before them and a lone girl standing in the water.

"She looks wonderful." Hope said. "Yet...I feel like we've met her somewhere before."

"Isn't that...Yuna?" Roy asked.

"Yeah… It kind of looks like her, doesn't it?" David asked.

"Wait...that's Yuna? Wow. I hardly recognized her without her being fairy sized." Natsu said.

"Don't forget this is an alternate world, this is Yuna, but not the one you're all familiar with." Azura said.

"Right, and she may not be friendly to the twins. Let's be careful." Hope said.

"She wasn't friendly to us either. She and her little friends tried to take everything we had." Jexi said.

"But this Yuna… It's hard to say how she'd react. Best stay cautious." David said.

"Wait...if she's in her summoner's garb, then…" Spade theorized as his eyes widened as he looked up. "Valefor…" he muttered.

"Who?" Hope asked.

"Her very first Aeon which is another term for Eidolon." Spade explained.

"Guess we're in for a fight… everyone get ready." Kazuichi said.

The group approached Yuna as she turned to the group.

"You...jiants...are not welcome here." Yuna said.

"Jiants? But we're still...oh come on!" Hope said seeing Lann and Reynn big.

"Yep. She's talking about them." Mayumi said.

"Y-Yuna. Please don't misunderstand. We're not here looking for a fight." Naomi said.

"Begone from Grymoire!" Yuna said as a winged beast appeared by her side.

"Guess she's not exactly in the mood to talk." Shuichi said.

"Everyone, allow me to assist the twins." Reala said as she stepped forward and materialized her staff.

"Alright, you got this Reala." Hope said.

"Behold, the Holy Maiden!" Reala said as she got into her fighting stance.

(Cue- Border of Life- Touhou)

"I won't allow you to sully Grymoire with your plagues. Attack them, Valefor!" Yuna called as Valefor went to attack.

"Grant them thy undefiled purity...Splash!" Reala chanted as a torrent of water poured down onto Valefor.

"You're not the only one who uses water magic." Yuna said. "Water!" she called blasting them with water of her own.

"I've got this… Blizzard!" Reynn called using the mirage they got by fighting Shiva to critically attack Yuna and her companion.

"Hear my cry! O silent will, enforce thy unleashed power! This is the justice of heart!" Reala chanted as a blue skinned woman in white clothing holding a staff, appeared and floated in the air. "Aqua Limit!" She called as the woman waved her staff and launched a surge of water around the two while healing herself and the twins. "Thank you, Undine." Reala said as Undine bowed and disappeared.

"I won't lose!" Yuna said as she and Valefor stacked up and charged.

"Oh, that's not gonna happen." Lann said attacking this time. "Horn Attack!" he called striking using the power of a Babyhemoth and knocked them down, defeating them both.

Yuna recovered after a few minutes. "The way you two use mirages, it's similar to Lusse Farna. Who are you both?"

"Lusse Farna? But that's… our mother." Lann realized.

"These two, are Lann and Reynn, Mirage Keepers and heroes of the prophecy." Reala said as she healed Yuna's wounds.

"You wouldn't happen to know this Lusse Farna, would you?" Reynn asked.

"Let me show you something." Yuna said as she pointed them to a stone tablet with a woman with the same earring designed the same way as on Yuna's staff.

"That earring, that's the same one mom used to wear." Reynn recognized.

"So it's her?" Lann asked.

"Right. It's the same one on Yuna's staff." Reynn explained.

"Are you two regaining more memories?" Al asked.

"It's possible they are." Hope said. "Yuna, can you tell us more about this Lusse Farna?"

"She arrived to Grymoire 100 years ago and saved it from the Demon Dyad by summoning three heralds." Yuna said.

"Sounds like something out of mythology." Gemini noted.

"Question...was one of the heralds…" Erza said connecting the dots.

"Yes. Brandelis, ruler of Bahamut." Yuna said.

"The same federation that attacked Cornelia." Hope realized.

"But why would one of three heralds try to conquer the same world it helped save?" Ace asked.

"If I know these scenarios well enough, I'm guessing something must've happened that made him this way." David said.

"So what happened to her?" Takeshi asked.

"I do not know. Some say summoning the heralds cost her her life, others say that she remains a prisoner in the herald's castle." Yuna said.

"So a bunch of conflicting stories surround Lusse's death. The ones who probably know the truth about it are Lann and Reynn, but they don't remember anything except her name." Hope said.

"Yeah, I'm getting nothing other than our mom's name." Lann said.

"We'll just have to gather more information on the subject as we progress." Alphamon said.

"If you're heading to Saronia, then you might find more information there. I believe that area has recently aligned with the federation." Yuna explained.

"That probably means we'll be seen as enemies first thing. Not good." Hope said.

"We'll have to find the resistance ASAP when we get there. Thank you so much for your help, Lady Yuna." Ace said.

"Yeah...and thanks for not stealing from us." Pinkie said.

"Uh...no problem?" Yuna said confused.

"We should be on our way now." Hope said to David.

"Right. Let's get moving." David said.

"Yeah...especially since it feels like it's getting colder the further we go. No way we're staying outside." Indigo said as they continued onward.


	7. Solace from the Ice

"Geez, it's cold out here. This kind of climate isn't good for us dragons." Examon said.

"We should tell that Chill guy about this place if we see him, he'd get a kick out of this." ZS said.

"It's cold?" Ryu asked.

"Don't you know? Dragons get sluggish in cold temperatures." Kokoro said.

"The only time I'm a dragon hybrid is if I activate D-Dive." Ryu said.

"So you're half-dragon, which means you're not sluggish in cold temperatures." Pearl deduced.

"Not as much as me and Examon at least… Lucky bastard." Kokoro said.

"Hey, not my fault I was chosen by a Dragon God back on my world." Ryu said.

"How much further?!" Eddy complained. "I'm having war flashbacks about that Invel guy!"

"We only just got here. Besides, it's not that bad." Francisca said.

"Easy for you to say! You ice masters have all the luck." Examon said.

"Oh, sounds like you've got hypothermia old man, perhaps I can help you blast them out." Vargas said jokingly.

"Guys, can we not do this right now?" Hope asked as he looked ahead. "Hey, there's an Inn up ahead!"

"We have found shelter!" Ed declared, running up to the door of the Inn.

"Anyone want hot chocolate?" Eleanor asked.

"Save it for when we get inside Eleanor." Erica assured.

"I know." Eleanor said.

The groups went inside and saw someone at the front desk. "Hello and welcome to Sherlotta's Solace." she said.

"Who would've thought we'd be running into Sherlotta out here, huh?" Hope whispered to David.

"You're telling me, dude. Crystal Chronicles isn't even mainstream." David whispered back.

"I've heard about her, she's an immortal who lived for 2000 years." Spade added.

"Wow, that long?" Gemini asked.

"Well, she is immortal, so it would make sense." Sachiko said.

"Anyway, we're looking to take shelter from the cold out there. Don't suppose you got some lodgings?" Hope asked.

"Of course, my inn is open to all people of all shapes and sizes, be they Lilikin or Jiant." Sherlotta said.

"Thanks so much Sherlotta." Erica said.

"If you're also planning to go back out into the Ice Fields, it would benefit you to do some shopping before going on your way." Sherlotta suggested.

"Good idea, we kinda have to get to Saronia anyway." Hope said.

"That would be a bad idea." Sherlotta said.

"Why's that?" Erica asked.

"You would have to be some sort of grand fool to try and cross those ice fields, especially around this time of year." Sherlotta said. "Lately, very powerful Mirages have made the Fields their own. Jiant or Lilikin, no traveler is safe."

"Oh yeah? You can just point us right at those Suckas, we'll be fine." Lann assured.

"You see, we're Mirage Keepers. We're trying to gather as many as we can." Reynn said.

"Huh?" Sherlotta asked as another girl in the Inn took notice.

"Did you say you planned to cross the fields? My name is Refia...I've been meaning to cross as well to Sardonia." she said.

"The Final Fantasy legends keep on coming." Hope said to David.

"Will you stop confining to me with that? I mean, I get it, but…" David started.

"No, I get it. We'll tone it down." Hope said. "Anyway Refia, to answer your question, we are traveling to Sardonia. If it means crossing the Ice Fields, we're up to the challenge."

"If you don't mind me asking, why are you interested in our travel plans?" Moltar asked.

"I wish to travel there in order to see my uncle. Please allow me to come with you." Refia said.

"She is a good person to have. She has mastered white magic." Sherlotta said.

"White Mages always come in handy in places like that. Welcome aboard." David said.

"I say you all are crazy but...fine. Knock yourselves out." Sherlotta said.

"Ice will probably be in the way the whole crossing. Fire users will be needed to clear the path." Hope said. "Moltar, you think you'll be able to help out? I know you're made of Lava, so there might be some critical instances where you might melt the whole place around us."

"Sure!" Moltar said saluting. "You can count on me!"

"You got this buddy!" Scarlet encouraged.

The party soon departed the inn as they continued into the icy fields where they forged through with Moltar in the lead. But it wasn't long before they figured out why the fields were so treacherous.

"Wait...you guys feel that?" Chopper asked. "There's...something big here." he said before jumping down before them was a large wolf.

"Look, a wolf!" ZS said.

"That's no ordinary wolf, it's Fenrir!" Selena said.

"But why is it attacking us? We never did anything wrong." Sonia asked.

"I get it now. The reason she told us these fields were dangerous is because this wolf and its kind mark it as their territory." Lemon said.

"Quick! Does anyone speak their language?" Ed asked.

"That wouldn't help now. These things are clearly angry that we stepped in on their grounds." Chopper said.

"This is weird, normally Fenrir is kind towards humans, guess this one doesn't see it that way." Vargas said.

"We've got no choice. We're gonna have to fight." Sabo said.

"Naomi, you might want to stay back." Sachiko said.

"Anybody that can use fire...turn up the heat." Stahn said as he started chanting. "Fireball!"

"Fire Dragon's Roar!" Natsu shouted.

"Fire Fist!" Sabo shouted as the three chased off the smaller wolves leaving Fenrir left to handle.

"Volcanic Rain!" Moltar shouted as he punched the ground, which caused a pillar of magma to shoot out of the ground, burning Fenrir. Still, the wolf stood in place.

"Man, this is one tough puppy!" Kazuichi said.

"It has to be if it wants to lead the pack." Sabo said.

"If single strike attacks won't work, then…" Himeno said as she did a backflip before shooting multiple fireballs at Fenrir.

"Yeah, that's the way, Himeno! Keep it going!" Hope said.

"Alright then. Time for my final blow!" Himeno said as she summoned a fire dragon and launched it at Fenrir. The dragon hit its target as an explosion followed, prompting Fenrir to flee.

"Whoa, Mama!" Amythest gawked.

"... Awesome." Moltar said breathlessly.

"Well...that looks like the last of them. We should probably go on before they have a chance to regroup." Jexi said.

As they moved on, Hope came up to Himeno.

"Guess all that training at Summer Camp paid off. Your Pyrokinesis has clearly gotten stronger if you can summon a fire dragon." Hope said.

"While I was training, I could only think about my comrades that were erased during The End's twisted game, and how I wanted to protect those that are still with us." Himeno said.

"That's a noble way of thinking." Emo said. "Mad respect, as ZS would say."

"Yeah...you're definitely a powerful asset to us." Kaito said.

"It's not just about power. Remember, when she was with her squad and Chikasu, she was the only one to never get any votes. She's got that pressure on her to be an example." Hope said.

"Exactly. I can't be an effective co-leader to my team, and leader of SEALED if I let myself slip up. Everyone is counting on me, after all." Himeno said.

"Hey guys! I think I see Saronia! Just up ahead!" Akane shouted.

"Looks really bustling." Naomi said.

"Well, of course. It is a castle town, after all." David said.

"Yeah...but I can't help but shake this dark feeling that there's more than meets the eye here." Riku said.

"Same here. Though, I can't quite put my finger on it…" Mayumi said.


	8. The Thane and The Knave

"Well...we nearly froze ourselves to death out there...but we're finally here. Saronia." Dan said.

"Come on, we made it through Snowfall Mountain in the Mushroom Kingdom without freezing to death didn't we?" Rutee said.

"We did. But that Ice Field was way colder." Hope said.

"Hope we don't go to a place like that ever again." Sora piped in.

"Don't jinx yourself, Sora." Riku said.

"Anyway... we're here." Mark said. "Now, if I remember correctly, we should see something that will point us in the right direction."

"Where would be a good place to start?" Cinnamon asked.

"We should find the resistance as soon as possible. Let's start at the farthest part of the city. They would want to stay hidden, so it makes sense for them to be far from the city leaders." Bardock answered.

"Wow, Bardock. You really know your stuff." Hagakure commented.

"Well, he did used to be a soldier from his homeworld, so it makes sense for him to know this kind of stuff." David said.

'Still...this dark feeling...it somehow feels stronger here in this city." Riku said.

"Yes...I've been feeling it too." Sectonia said. "Almost as if...something has this city imprisoned or something."

"Think it's the Bahamutians?" Hope asked.

"Who else could it be?" Emo asked. "...Well, actually I wouldn't put it past some of those other competitors…"

"No. I don't think that's the case here." David said.

"He's right. But still...checking out their leader doesn't sound like a bad idea. Didn't Refia say the thane was her uncle?" Jexi said.

"She did. Should we go look for him?" Ace asked.

"You always take the long way. It's way more easy to just follow the small fries." Bakugo said pointing to Refia running towards the large building.

"Sorry. I just thought it would be a good idea." Ace said.

"Not all ways lead to the right goal. Sometimes, you gotta take the side roads, if you know what I mean. Bakugo's got the right idea though. Let's follow Refia into that building." Gemini said.

"Okay." Ace said.

The group walked into the building and saw Refia being blocked off by two guards.

"I said for ya to scram, kid!" one of the soldier yelled at her.

"Will you just listen to what I have to say?" Refia pleaded.

"Hi Refia!" Steven said, waving at her.

"Oh, hello everyone." Refia said.

"Is something wrong?" Leon asked.

"Looks to me like these two are giving ya a hard time." Undyne said.

"Could you two please tell us why you won't let Refia in?" Philia asked.

"I already told them that the thane is my uncle, but they just won't let me in." Refia said. "I'm not allowed to talk to my own flesh and blood now?"

"Hold on." Hope said. "Reynn, show them that document Princess Sarah gave you."

"Oh right." Reynn said showing it.

"Now...you wouldn't go and turn away someone so important would you? And get in trouble with your boss?" Gray said.

"Uh...you all can enter." they said.

"That's what we thought." Neu said as they headed on in.

"Ah...an easy entrance and telling off some guards. Why can't we do that more often?" Natsu said.

"Sometimes it takes brute force depending on the situation." Al joked.

"Or because the guards we usually run into are always so…" David started.

"Weak?" Fefnir asked.

"No, but hostile, yes. Of course, that's kind of par for the course with our line of work." David said.

"Truer words have never been spoken." Ace said. "Grymoire is a pretty interesting world. It's like it was created from the memories of the worlds you've all been to in this universe."

"Well, I wouldn't say that. True this place is in the Disney Hearts universe, but this world is made from the Final Fantasy worlds. And we've only been to one so far." Hope said.

"And we thought that one was part of the Magic Universe, which just makes things even more confusing." Mayumi said.

"True. It is a bit confusing but it's best not to question it. Besides we may have only been to one Final Fantasy world, but we've met a lot of friends. Cloud, Leon, even Zack." Rainbow said.

"And Yuna as well, correct?" Simon asked.

"Leon?" Al asked.

"She means Squall." Indigo said.

"Ah, I take it that was his actual name?" Spade asked.

"Wait." ZS said. "You mean his name WASN'T Squall?"

"We're clearly losing this guy. Basically, his real name is Squall Leonhart, but at some point before coming to Hollow Bastion-" David started.

"-which is now Radiant Garden." Hope added.

"-He changed his name to Leon." David finished.

"And trust me. He may change his name, but he's still the same powerhouse." Rainbow said. "Him and that gunblade of his."

"Oh." ZS said. "...man, I really need to start paying attention to these conversations of yours."

"Still, it is pretty interesting." Ace said as they arrived at the Thane's office.

"Ah, you must be the emissaries from Cornelia. Welcome." he said.

"Wait...who are you?" Refia demanded.

"I am the thane of Saronia of course." he said.

"No...the thane is my uncle. I can tell you aren't him." Refia said.

"Now tell us who you really are." Hisui said pointing his second evolved Soma, Malphas at the imposter.

"So.. you figured me out." the thane said. "Yes, I am not the Thane of Saronia." he said changing and becoming a Jiant in dark armor.

"He's a Bahamutian soldier!" Reynn said.

"What have you done with my uncle?" Refia demanded.

"I won't tell you anything." the soldier said.

"Then we'll just force you to talk." Hope said.

"I'll knock him down a peg." Koala said. "If he's the one who instigated this, I'll tear it down. Anyone want to help from Team Chronicle?"

"How about Koneko?" Mark suggested. "I'm sure she'd like to help."

"Whatever." Koneko said. "I'll help."

"Okay…" Koala said.

"I'll destroy you both!" the soldier said firing his gun.

Koala used her fishman karate to spin around the shots as she went for the attack, Koneko deflecting the shots without lifting a finger.

"Alright! Give it to him, Koneko!" Issei cheered.

"Die already!" the soldier called firing but kept failing to deal damage.

"Sorry. Fishman Karate: Shark Brick fist!" Koala called from behind as Koneko came from the front with a powerful strike.

"Come on...you gotta admit...you have no home." the soldier said still holding on.

"How is he still conscious?" Koala said.

As the soldier approached, something pierced him from behind. "But...Sir Segwarides...why…" he said before falling as standing behind him was a man in a golden mask.

"Huh." Eddy said. "Don't know if we should thank him or not. What's your name, golden guy?"

"Were you not paying attention? His name is Segwarides, and he just killed one of his own men." Dynasmon said curling a fist.

"You are fools to so much as inquire. Also as much to let a medium to champion aspire!" Segwarides said making more green energy spears.

"I have no idea what that means, but I do know he's a bad guy." Goku said. "Let's get him!"

"Away from death, away from life they stay! Contain them or you'll…!" Segwardies started before he was blasted from behind with a fireball.

"What the..?!" Gemini asked.

"Hey, come on! He won't be down for long." a voice said as they saw a cat in the broken window.

"Uh… follow the cat!" Hope called as the group followed the cat out the window.

"Phew...that was close. Thank you Sherlotta." Refia said.

"Wait, that's Sherlotta? Why are you a cat?" Naomi asked.

"Immortal, remember?" Sachiko asked as Sherlotta turned back.

"I had a bad feeling since you all decided to come here, so I followed after." Sherlotta said.

"Thanks for coming to save our bacon." Hope said.

"Whatever that Segwardies was, he seemed strong. Not unlike the other Bahamutians we've faced." Aqua said.

"To be that strong, he's gotta be a real big shot." Kazuichi said.

"Segwarides...he's one of the three heralds who rule this land, he's one of Brandelis's top men." Sherlotta said.

"(Yet there was something strange about him.)" Ace thought.

"Enough about him. What did you mean by bad feeling?" Riku asked.

"See for yourself." Sherlotta said handing him a strange device as he looked through it.

"What the? There's...some sort of huge chain in the town!" Riku realized.

"A chain?" Hope asked.

"Lemme see." Lann said looking through it. "Holy honk, you're right! What's that all about?"

"Not sure. But they're in all the allied states of the Federation. Their purpose is unknown." Sherlotta said.

"Hey, the chains show that Mirages belong to someone right?" Mark suggested. "Maybe that's a symbol of the Federation's rule over the city?"

"That's a really solid theory, Mark. All the Goblins that we've seen are bound by chains. Maybe it's the same for the states as well. What do you think David?" Hope asked.

"Yes, that does seem to be the case." David said.

"And following that logic, if we take down the person leading the Federation forces in this town...the chain should vanish." Rias added.

"But Segwarides killed the thane and the chain didn't even vanish. I think to make them vanish it's gonna take more than just killing off a leader here." Jexi said.

"Besides...I think we should continue looking for more help and more mirages." Lann said.

"Then your best shot is to head for the Low Seas." Refia said.

"Guess that means we're gonna have to take a boat." David said. "...Or two, I don't know if one can hold all of us."

"We should also be prepared as well. Being out on the open sea leaves us open." Hope said. "Especially if it concerns that Bully, Captain Sharkfang."

"Ah yes. We'll need to keep an eye out for her. Places like that are her domain." Naomi said.

"Well she is a pirate." Zoro said.

"She's a pain in the ass is what she is." Simon said.

"Wait wait...stop talking. Last thing we want is to jinx it and make her come here and bite us to death." ZS said.

"Right, sorry." Hope said.

"Either way...we won't run into her...but...we can steal us up a pirate ship." Nami said.


	9. Buccaneer Blues

After their close brush with the Bahamutian Army, the group have decided they needed a ship since Saronia was the last city on the continent. So the idea came to steal a ship from pirates.

"You sure we should be doing this?" Wendy asked.

"We're stealing from pirates, if anything we're doing the people a favor." Nami said.

"But...you're a pirate!" Ed pointed out.

"Yeah but...we're stealing from evil pirates. Besides, compared to what we went through on Mario's world, this is gonna be easy." Nami said.

"Why do I get the feeling it won't?" Mayumi asked.

They soon approached said pirate ship and boarded.

"Huh...you would have thought there would be some security." Miles said.

"Yes there is, kupo!" a voice said as three figures arose. "You are in our mercy, kupo."

"Mercy? For what?" Sachiko asked.

"For trespassing, kupo!" one of them said.

"Wait...kupo? That sounds like...are you guys Moogles?" Sora asked.

"What? Uh don't be silly, kupo! We're...big and dangerous pirates, kupo." another of them said.

"Yeah… I don't think I'm buying it." David said.

"Moogles are the only races in this universe who end their sentences in kupo." Rainbow said.

"Uh...well...you're wrong. We're…" they said before they tumbled down revealing themselves as pig like creatures with fluffballs on their heads and small wings on their backs.

"Aww, they're so cute!" Ace said.

"Hey little guys, can we borrow your ship?" ZS asked. "We need to save the world."

"Never kupo. We're strong pirates who...wait...those two...they look familiar, kupo." they said seeing Luffy and David.

"Wait...ah! That's Straw Hat Luffy and Ice Devil Ishihara! Two big name pirates! They're the ones who defeated Katakuri and messed with Big Mom." another said.

"They think David's a pirate?" Sachiko said.

"Seems that way." Jago said. "Probably has to do with his half-a-billion bounty."

"Well, he did beat Katakuri that one time. And seeing how he had a hand in the Wedding crash…" Hope said.

"Oh please spare us, pirates. We didn't realize who we were messing with, kupo." they begged.

"We weren't even planning to hurt you, besides...you guys are too adorable to even harm." Ace said picking up one of them.

"Look, we'll let you guys go. Just tell us which of you is the captain and we can smooth this whole mess over." Jexi said.

"Oh, none of us are the captain." the first one said.

"Say what?" Jexi said before something rose from the waters nearby.

"There's our captain, kupo." one of the other ones said as a woman stood atop of a serpent like monster.

"That's...Faris Scherwiz! She's a top class pirate captain from Final Fantasy V!" Rainbow said.

"And is that Leviathan she's riding?" Selena asked.

"Close. That's actually Syldra, her summon and best friend." Rainbow said.

Geez… Talk about your trusty companions." David said. "What should we do? We're not here looking for a fight, but I doubt she'll just let us board that ship quietly."

"Are you quite done? Because I'm going to attack you for boarding my ship." Faris said.

"Parley!" Hope called.

"Dang it, he called Parley." Faris said.

"Parley?" Asta asked.

"A bit of the pirates code. When someone calls Parley, no one can harm another until negotiations are complete." Robin said.

"Picked it up from that time we spent on Jack Sparrow's world. Thought it might come in handy if we ever went up against pirates again." Hope said.

"Nice thinking." Aqua complimented.

"Now Faris, we didn't mean to board your ship with ill intentions. We were just looking to Cross the Low Seas, but we needed a ship to do it." Hope explained.

"I see...and what would I get in return for doing this?" Faris asked.

"Uh...let's see, I've got about…$20 on me. Anyone else got anything?" ZS whispered.

"What about the Gil the mirages dropped? We should have tons of it." Al whispered.

"Well? What's my reward for taking you across the seas?" Faris asked.

"Wait… you're under jurisdiction from Bahamutian rule like everyone else, right? Has the Thane not allowed you to leave the Harbor?" Hope said.

"What are you talking about?" Faris asked.

"Listen, the Bahamutian army has been disguising themselves as Thane Takka the whole time. We saw it. I get the feeling that's why you haven't left Saronia." Hope said.

"Actually we were docked for repairs. But...I can't say I really stand the Federation and its rules either." Faris said.

"So does that mean you'll help us?" Hagakure asked.

"Fine. After all, you have two Jiants of the legend whose next moves have been foretold." Faris said.

"There's more?" Lann asked.

"First mate!" Faris said.

"Yes, kupo! It is said that the Jiants of the Hills will collect four keys, open up a pathway to the crystal tower, brave its dangers, and mount the heavens, kupo." the moogle said.

"Four keys? This sounds important." Naomi said.

"So...do you know where they are, Mog?" Lann asked.

"I only know of the first one, kupo." the moogle said.

"One key is better than none." Hope said. "We gotta find it first before the Bahamutians do. Can you tell us where it is?"

"Hmm...I think it was….oh! Twas a valley of fire, kupo!" the moogle said.

"Valley of Fire?" Todoroki asked.

"I can only think of one place. The Fire Valleys of Babil, just south of the South Seas." Faris said.

"Sounds like we'll need some water bottles...or buckets." Eddy said.

"Can you take us there?" Ichiro asked. "I'm not sure if we have enough Gil to pay you though…"

"I'll do it for free but you all better not goof off on my ship, you bunch of clowns." Faris said.

"We promise we won't do anything to impede you." Hope said.

"Good. But unfortunately, we will not be taking this ship. For one, it's too damaged to venture the Low seas at the moment." Faris said.

"Well there's gotta be some other way." Sero noted.

"Hmm. Wait, Mog! Is our guests still aboard?" Faris asked.

"Guests, kupo?" the Moogle asked.

"The lass in glasses and that lone sailor." Faris said.

"I think so, kupo. I'll go look kupo." the moogle said flying off before returning with a woman in glasses and following her was a man with tanned skin and shark-like teeth.

"Wait...that woman. That's Quistis Trepe. She's from the same game as Squall." Rainbow whispered.

"But who's the other guy? Is he related to Captain Sharkfang or something?" ZS asked

"Oi….what did you say?" he said leaning in. "So...you mention the little minnow do ya?" he said smiling.

"Y-Yeah we did… you two look a lot alike. Please don't eat us, mr…?" Hagakure asked.

"Bluefin. Captain Bluefin. I'm a pirate too. A fisherman pirate." he said before laughing. "Besides, the only meat I eat is that of the sea."

"So you know her?" Hope asked.

"Why would I not know my sister?" he asked.

"Ah, that-that makes sense." David said.

"Truth is, we come from a long family of pirates. Five siblings, five pirate crews. She's the youngest of us, of course." he said.

"Sharkfang's your little sister?" Simon asked surprised.

"Aye. But I prefer calling her a minnow since that's what I think of her as." he said. "I came here hoping to find her...but turns out she's not on this world at all."

"Whew…" Hope breathed. "Well, she's not really here. She's competing in the Perfect Link Tournament, so she's traveling all over the worlds hoping to get into the finals. Wait… why would she wanna enter the tournament anyway?"

"Oh...probably cause I told her I entered." he said holding three tokens.

"You've got three tokens already?" Naomi asked.

"Man, your perfect link must be a strong one." Izuku said. "Wait… where is it?"

"Come out mate!" he shouted as a water like dog jumped out.

"Wait...thats a…" Hope said.

"Bzzt! Vaporeon, the Bubble Jet Pokemon and the evolved form of Eevee! A Water Type! Its cell structure is similar to water molecules. It melts into the water and becomes invisible." Rotomdex said.

"Whoa… That is so cool!" David said.

"Yes...me and this little pup have been together since birth. Born to raid the seas of its moving treasures." Bluefin said.

"So inspiring." Hope said. "So, I know in this tournament, it's first to qualify gets the finals, but we don't have to battle right now. We should focus on getting out of here and to our destination. Do you want to help us?"

"Aye...of course. We can take my ship." Bluefin said.

"You have your own ship? Show us." Sora said.

"Aye." he said pointing to the docks to a large fishing boat in the harbor.

"Well how about that?" Emo said.

"Come about. Next stop is the South Seas." Bluefin said. "We can even have a fish dinner on the way!"

"Wow...he's so...nice!" most of the group said.


	10. The South Seas

"Hmm." Simon said as he had his eyes closed while Cheshire sat atop his head and Absol next to them.

"Whatcha thinking about, Simon?" Hope asked.

"Nothing much. We've been travelling across Grymoire for quite a bit now, and still no sign of any other competitors besides that Yellow Shocker person." Simon said.

"Now that you mention it... you'd think we'd have run into at least three by now." Mark added.

"But none have been sighted." Simon said as he looked at his token before dismissing it.

"The only other one we've seen has been Captain Bluefin. But I don't wanna battle him, he's been so nice to us." Hope said.

"Neither do I. But you can never be to careful, just in case." Simon said. "I'll tell you this much, he's nothing like his younger sister in terms of personality."

"Yeah, Sharkfang is merciless, but Bluefin is pretty welcoming." Hope nodded.

"Y'know, that actually got me thinking," ZS said. "Maybe deep down, Sharkfang's actually a good person. Maybe she's just putting up a tough exterior because she's a captain."

"I think she made her hostility pretty clear, Skater." David said.

"I would have to agree with David on that. The woman chomped down on Hydra nearly killing her." Simon said.

"To be fair, Hydra was attacking her ship." ZS replied. "But she did start that fight, so I guess it's only fair."

"If it's tough exteriors you're talking about, look no further than this guy." Naomi said motioning to David. "Sure, he may come off as someone that's a little rough on the edges in a fight, but on a normal day, he's a plain old softie."

"Y-you didn't have to say it like that, Naomi." David said flustered.

"It was a compliment, David." Simon assured.

"I know. I just don't want people to take advantage of that, is all." David said. "I mean… You all have heard of my half-a-billion Beli bounty. As far as the World Government is concerned, my nice guy persona is the one that's the front. I'm a sensitive guy, so I tend to have strong feelings about a lot of things."

"Well, in my opinion, it's not that big of a deal. It just means that you're honest about those feelings." Naomi said.

"Very true." Simon said. "And here we are, on our way to another volcanic area. We must have a thing with them or something."

"..." David looks to the area in concern.

"Yeah...somehow we always find ourselves heading to dangerous areas." Hope said.

"Not a lot of good memories, that's for sure. The sooner we find this key, the sooner we can get out." Simon said.

"What was that? I couldn't hear you over the waterfall." Pit said.

"What? We're in the middle of the ocean, there's no…" Double D started before seeing a waterfall heading down up ahead. "...I stand corrected."

"Oh I get it now! The South Seas aren't south, they're down." Bluefin said.

"Don't tell me. We're about to fall off a huge waterfall?" Simon said.

"Yep." Hope replied.

"Sharp rocks at the bottom?" David asked.

"Most likely." Hope nodded.

"...Bring it on." David challenged.

"Oh god we're gonna….Ah!" Hiyoko said as the ship fell right over the falls.

"BOOYAHAHAHAHA! WOOO!" Simon called.

"AAAAHHHH!" Eddy screamed, clinging onto Jexi. "WE'RE GONNA DIE!"

"Oh lighten up. This is fun and exciting!" Jexi said.

"NOT FOR ME IT AIN'T!" Moltar yelled.

"G-FORCE! IN MY FAAAAAAACE!" Pit screamed.

"It's fun right?!" Roy asked.

"Oh relax. We'll just land in the water. No big deal." Luffy said.

"But you and the other Devil Fruit users can't swim." Dan pointed out.

"Oh...Oh yeah." Luffy said.

"Oh boy… PDEE BARMA!" Simon chanted as Madama Butterfly appeared at the bottom and caught the ship.

"Wow, that was Emperor's New Groove levels of amazing." Hope breathed.

"Yup, have to agree with you on that." Al said dizzily before fainting.

"...I really despise all of you right now." Moltar said before fainting as well.

"Oh come on. You gotta admit, that was awesome!" David said with a laugh.

"I admit that, but… Please don't make a habit of this." Leopardmon said.

"No promises." David said.

"Well...looks like this may be where we part for now mates." Bluefin said. "I'll have to figure out a way to move my boat...from this very shallow pond and back up the falls."

"You're not coming with us?" Hope asked.

"I may be a competitor but I'm a fisherman and a pirate first." Bluefin said.

"I see. Well, good luck on your endeavors." Naomi said with a bow.

"Oh...that reminds me...any of you run into people with constellation marks on their bodies?" Bluefin asked. "If you have...it be best to stay away from them."

"Constellation marks?" Hope asked.

"I see...you all never heard of the Constellars." Bluefin said.

"Like the Zodiac constellations… something tells me that they're dangerous." Sakura said.

"Oh not zodiac. Their members have marks of different constellations on their bodies. What I know is that their a cult that seems to worship the light and darkness balance, a neutral party supporting both good and evil." Bluefin said.

"Okay, that's very vague and confusing." Mayumi said.

"A cult…" David said remembering the spirits he fought back in Korra's world.

"Yeah...I heard a majority of them have joined the tournament in order to bolster their numbers and spread their name." Bluefin said.

"Guys, this may seem surprising, but… I think I faced some of them back in Korra's world." David said.

"Wait, you did?" Sachiko asked.

"Yeah. I think I got the tokens that got me to the finals off of them. Invel brought them along as backup and they had Frillish on them." David said.

"Frillish. Oh...I know the two. They be Kuro and Haru. Spirits from the Undead Universe marked with the constellations Pisces." Bluefin said.

"I-I didn't know they were Constellars at the time." David said.

"It would be hard to mark a spirit." Bluefin said.

"It still doesn't change the fact that we basically picked a fight with them. No doubt the others have already gotten word of their defeat." Francisca said.

"What do you mean we? You guys didn't fight them, I did." David said. "I'm still surprised they would help Invel."

"I don't think it was Invel they were trying to help. Rather his so called master." Jexi said.

"This cult and their motives are so confusing. I'm still wrapping my head around all of this…" David said.

"Same here. If we ever end up facing one of their members again, we might have to ask them about their values." Robin said.

"I don't know. The ones I faced didn't seem like much of talkers. Heck, they haven't even said one word throughout the whole battle." David said.

"So what, they have a vow of silence too? Man, they sound like oddballs." ZS said.

"More oddballs than us?" Kaito asked.

"...Not that much." ZS admitted.

"Either way...we're on our own from here. With those guys and getting to the valleys." Reynn said.

"Huh? What?" Naomi said seeing a small turtle on its back. "Poor thing. You shouldn't be like this." she said turning it the right way as it crawled back into the ocean. "Off you go, little one."

"Come on. You're just gonna let it crawl away. You gotta…" Lann said before a gigantic turtle rose from the sea. "The very right thing!"

The turtle roared before the smaller one squeaked something to it. "Hmm? Oh. I see. Young lady, my minimantoise told me that you just saved his life. I thank you." he said.

"You're very welcome. I couldn't just leave him in danger like that." Naomi said.

"Sorry to disturb you Mr. Turtle but we're trying to get to Babil." Mahiru said.

"I see. Then as repayment, I shall help you get to this Babil. You are all free to ride on my back." he said.

"Thank you very much." Naomi said.

The group soon got on the large turtle and began riding him as they headed off to Babil.

"So cool! We're actually riding a giant turtle!" Luffy said.

"Yeah...it's slow but it's cushy. And no chance of attack." Zephyr said.

"...3...2…1..." Emo started.

Jumping from the sea came a small figure as it landed right on him. "Oh finally. Travelers. I was getting tired of swimming."

"Wait...I know you. You were one of the gullwings we met in Radiant Garden. Rikku!" Rainbow said.

"Huh? You...know me?" she said.

"It's just like with Yuna. This isn't the same Rikku you're familiar with." Ace said.

"Yeah. Its Rikku but at the same time it isn't." Hope said.

"What were you doing in the ocean?" Jexi asked.

"I was treasure hunting when a Mirage trashed my boat. I mean I'm a good swimmer but I was starting to get pooped. Then I saw all of you riding on old Adamantoise here." Rikku said.

"...What Mirage are you referring to?" Mark asked, looking around the surrounding ocean.

"Long gone now. But no matter. This is just as fun." Rikku said.

"I'm glad you think so. We were just on our way to Babil, and Adamantoise was taking us there." Aqua said.

"Oh...so you're trying to get to the Babil region. Then you need to set a course that way!" Rikku said pointing to said direction as the Adamantoise swam towards said direction.


	11. Too Warm a Welcome

"Ah...finally made it to shore." Hope said as they arrived in a small cove.

"Thanks for showing us the way, Rikku." Petra said.

"No worries. I needed a breather anyway." Rikku said.

"So...where do you go from here?" Saki asked.

"Hmm. Hey, mind if I hitch a ride a bit longer? There's this place I've been wanting to get to." Rikku said.

"Sure. I must be heading back myself." Adamantoise said turning around.

"Back to my schedule of totally awesome treasure hunting." Rikku said.

"Treasure hunt eh? Whatcha looking for?" Applejack asked.

"If it's anything involving treasure, count me in!" Al said.

"Sorry but one person only. You guys would drag me down." Rikku said waving bye to them.

"Bye Adamantoise! I promise I'll come back and imprism you someday!" Lann shouted.

"...You know, it's nice how you mean that as a good thing, but it sounds wrong for some reason." Emo said.

"Don't worry about it Emo, its something Lann says sometimes." Hope said.

"Sometimes I wonder if Lann thinks before he says things." Reynn sighed.

"So...plan. We just continue travelling south till we get to the valleys." Sora said.

"That's the best directive so far." Hope said.

"Right! Then let's get started, I really don't wanna be out in the open when night rolls around." Scarlet said.

And so the group started travelling south, heading into a deserted and wasteland like area known best as the Scars.

"Wow...this place is so boring." Lann said unaware of something rising and breathing behind him. "Who knew the winds of Babil were so toasty."

"Uh… Lann?" Hope asked.

"What's up Hope? You look spooked." Lann replied.

"Behind you!" Simon called quickly shooting at the monster.

"What the heck is that thing?!" Hope asked.

"That's not a monster...it's a dragon!" Natsu said.

"A dragon, huh?" Jalter said.

"I wouldn't risk it, Jalter. You're called the dragon witch, but I don't think it's a good move to try and control it." Hope said. "David, why don't you take this one? Fire against cold."

"Actually, I think it would be better to leave it to these two." David said motioning to Francisca and Kentaurosmon.

"I'd be glad to. Ready, Fransisca?" Kentaurosmon asked.

"More than ready." Francisca said bringing out her axe.

"Be the-careful with this one. This dragon is a the-Mega Red Dragon!" Tama warned.

"Don't worry, when it comes to ice, my sis has got this, especially with Kentaurosmon backing her up!" Flamberge assured.

"Kentaurosmon, I'll attack it up front while you provide cover fire." Francisca said.

"Roger. Leave it to me." Kentaurosmon said as Francisca charged.

The Mega Red Dragon wasting no time striking first as it tried to roast Fransisca as it breathed fire on her.

Francisca spun her axe to deflect the flames before firing a shard of ice at the dragon. The shard hit the dragon head on before the mighty beast struck back with its claws. "It wouldn't be a dragon if it wasn't tough." she said as she dealt multiple strikes from her axe as Kentaurosmon fired arrows at the dragon.

"(This dragon is very tough… Nothing we're doing is having much effect on him.)" Kentaurosmon thought as he saw the dragon about to attack Francisca. "Oh no you don't!" he said as he fired an arrow at the dragon's arm.

"Kentaurosmon, don't you have the X-Antibody in you too? If you invoke it, you might have a chance!" Rainbow called.

"It's not that easy, Rainbow. You know transformations can't be controlled the first time." Gallantmon said.

"Right, I know." Rainbow said.

Kentaurosmon wasted no time getting in front of Francisca to block the dragon's next attack with his shield.

"I'm not...going to let you…" Kentaurosmon said as he started to glow. "Harm my companions!" he shouted as he was engulfed in light as he is now fully armored with an extra set of hands, and his crossbow is now a longbow.

"Whoa…" Akane breathed.

"Hardcore…" David muttered.

"Amazing…" Francisca said.

"You might want to step back." Kentaurosmon said as a bow was formed from the wings on his back. "Surtr Brander!" he shouted as an arrow of light was fired. Francisca managed to jump out of the way before the arrow hit the dragon. It then vanished in a burst of light.

"Wow." Hope said.

"You said it." Mark added. "So, that's your X-Antibody, huh Kentaurosmon?"

"That's right. I didn't think I'd actually be able to utilize it, though." Kentaurosmon said. "I just saw how bravely Francisca fought and...something inside me just triggered. That I needed to protect her from that thing." he said as he reverted.

"And that determination ended up saving me. Thanks." Francisca said. "Sorry you had to do that, though. I thought for sure that we'd be able to defeat it with that strategy, but that dragon ended up being tougher than I thought."

"Yes...but we are all glad it is the-over." Tama said as the group gasped as another dragon rose behind him.

"Another one?" David asked.

"Oh…" Tama sweated.

"Final...Heaven!" a voice shouted as a figure punched the dragon and sent it flying.

"That voice...no way. It's...it's Tifa!" Yang said.

"Saved by the bartender." Fuyuhiko smirked.

"Wow...now that was just lucky. Didn't you people know that dragons like that are very common here in the Scars? Be lucky it was just two." Tifa said.

"Just?!" Eddy exclaimed.

"Just roll with it Eddy, you don't know Tifa like we do." Indigo said. "She could kill you with just one punch or kick."

"Look...we really need a safe spot from this horrible place." Rarity said.

"Well not far from here is a town called Nibelheim. You can rest there." Tifa said.

"Sounds good. Lead the way." David said.

"Okay, follow me." Tifa said as the group followed Tifa down the ridge. Little did they know, they were followed by two other female shapes. One in white robes and the other in black armor, and both were masked. They watched the heroes march off.


	12. Crimson and Azure

The group, being led by Tifa, soon arrived to the town of Nibelheim.

"So that's our story. We're looking for the four keys to help with the prophecy." Sunny said.

"I see. Wait...it just so happens I ran into a researcher recently who was looking into that prophecy." Tifa said.

"Really? What's his name?" Indigo asked.

"He?" Tifa scowled. "So a woman can't be a researcher?"

"Well, we weren't sure if this researcher was a guy or a girl. Er… No offense to you, Vera." UlforceVeedramon said.

"It's alright. Don't worry about it. I was actually surprised myself." Vera said.

"Yeah...maybe I should stop talking." Indigo said as they followed Tifa to a familiar green haired woman with a mist dragon by her side.

"My name is Rydia. I'm a summoner." she said.

"Is this the girl you told me about before, David?" Ace asked.

"Yep. That's the one." David said.

"It's nice to meet a fellow summoner. My name is Ace." Ace said to Rydia.

"A summoner, huh? Neat." Emo said. "You don't see too many of them these days...well, except those two."

"Yeah, Sheena and Leonis are pretty skilled." Hope said.

"I was actually talking about Ace and Rydia, but now that you mention those guys...I guess there are a lot of summoners around." Emo replied.

"Emo, I think it's best you stop right there, before your mouth nets you in real trouble." David said.

"So… Anyway. Rydia, right? What can you tell us about this place?" Naomi asked.

"It's pretty divided and are very knowledgeable about the Jiants and the prophecy." Rydia said.

"So they know all about the keys?" Sora asked.

"Keys? But...that's only mentioned in the Crimson Prophecy." Rydia said.

"Crimson? So there's another one?" Naomi asked.

"The Azure Prophecy is what should be followed. It speaks of four sigils, not four keys." Rydia said.

"How strange, two prophecies that collide with each other." Ace said.

"Am I the only one who feels like there's something sinister going on?" Alkal asked. "I mean, two prophecies? It sounds weird, doesn't it?"

"You're not the only one. I feel it too." David said.

"This has to mean one of them is false. Question is which one." Jexi said.

"And obviously, no one is going to tell us, so we have to figure it out for ourselves." Mayumi said.

"What if we got both?" Ed asked.

"Surprisingly, Ed might have a point with this one. If we observe both of them in great detail, we might be able to decide the best course of action." David said.

"Yeah. Rydia, do you know of any places around here that may help in our search?" Ace asked.

"Hmm. Well...the best way to figure out which is true would be to go to the valley of Babil. I think the one you all are talking about may be in Valley 7." Rydia said.

"Would you mind showing us the way?" Ace asked.

"Sure. If anything, you'd be doing me a favor by us going there." Rydia said.

"Really?" Hope asked. "Why's that?"

"You've...never been there before, have you?" Ranma asked.

"Well...no." she said.

"Guess we'll find out when we get there." Kagura said.

It was after that short exchange that the group traveled to the fiery valley known as valley 7.

'Oh...I think my fur is the-melting." Tama said.

"The Fire Valleys of Babil...definitely live up to their name." Yaoyorozu said.

"Ahh…" Moltar smiled. "Just like home."

"Whoo! It's hot!" Aya said fanning herself with her hat.

"I don't think Moltar seems to mind, considering he's a Lava Monster." Rainbow said. "Uh, no offense."

"Actually, you're right. I AM a Lava Monster." Moltar replied. "Doesn't mean I can't act civilized, though."

"So where are you from Moltar? What made you become a member of the crew with Galen and the others?" Erica asked.

"Well, I'm actually from what you guys call the Mythos Universe." Moltar said. "It's a weird story. One day, there I was, minding my own business, and then BOOM! Some giant monster showed up in the sky and started eating the whole Universe! I was lucky to get out with my life. I ended up in the Standard Universe's Cross-World, met Scarlet and Galen and...well, the rest is history!"

"Monster? You mean Yamigedo?" Kabuki asked.

"Oh, THAT'S what it's called?" Moltar asked. "Well, I take it's not a problem anymore?"

"Yeah...we defeated Yamigedo and the Hundred Demons and restored the universes it ate." Jexi said.

"Well thanks everyone! It's nice to be able to see my family again!" Moltar said.

"It's not a problem from them. As fate has it, some of us hail from that same universe." Hera said. "Me, Petra, Kokoro, Kurochi, Ross...and now you it seems."

"So, where exactly are we going to find the answers to this double prophecy?" Issei asked

"I think if we just go straight, we'll find the answer." Asta said as a pillar of fire rose up. "Or not."

"Wa...Wah! I can't do this!" Rydia said running off.

"Rydia, wait!" Ace called.

"Is she...supposed to be like that?" Emo asked in a worried tone.

"She's afraid of fire. The other one was afraid of it too after her hometown was burned down." Sci Twi said.

"I… I never knew…" Naomi said.

"The poor girl..." Ace added.

"We should probably go after her so she doesn't get hurt." Mark noted. "Who knows what kind of Mirages are around here?"

"You're right. We can't let her go too far away." Gemini said before they heard a scream. Running down the path, they saw Rydia cowering at the sight of a fire mirage before the Mist Dragon appeared and blew it away.

"Incredible." Ace said. "Rydia, are you okay?"

"I...I'm scared of fire. I came here with all of you...so I could try and conquer my fear." Rydia said.

"Well, that was brave of you, and I can't say I blame ya for freaking out." Eddy said. "But maybe you should start off a bit smaller. So...you wanna head back, or…?"

"Rydia...you should head back. I mean...fire is awesome...but its not for everyone." Natsu said.

"Hmm...how about this? I'll go back to Nibelheim only after I put that fire out for you." Rydia said.

"Sounds fair. We should be able to manage after that. Apologies for putting you through that." David said.

"And don't worry, we'll be there to help you every step of the way. That's what friends are for." Ace said.

And with Rydia's assistance, the pillar was extinguished, allowing the group minus Rydia to continue onward before coming across a single key.

"There it is! Like the prophecy says!" Lann said.

"But...where's the sigil?" Shirou asked, looking around the area.

"Guess the Crimson Prophecy was the right one." Dan said.

"Hmm… This seems all too easy. For something so important, you'd expect it to be more heavily…" David started before the cave grew dark as the flames turned blue. "...guarded."

"Why do I get the feeling we're about to regret getting the key?" Wendy asked before a large water dragon appeared in the air as a large wave of water rushed towards them.

"Fini!" Sectonia called armatizing with Tapu Fini and countering the wave with her own.

"You're fine...but what about the rest of us!" Hope said as water was rising before they were suddenly washed away with Sectonia giving chase. As the group was flushed out, a familiar knight looked over the flooded cave holding the unconscious Rydia in their possession.


	13. Ribbit Jiggle Panic

"Ugh...where...where are we?" Reynn groaned as the group awoke in some sort of wetlands.

"Definitely not Nibelheim." Erica said.

"Did anyone get the number of that tsunami?" ZS said dizzly.

"Oh yeah...we got flushed out. And in some...strange froggy land." Hope said looking around seeing nothing but frogs within the area.

"Frogs?" CP said in confusion. "What are frogs doing under the wasteland we were just in?"

"Yeah, something tells me we're far from that place." Mayumi said.

"Man, how far did we go?" Scarlet said. "Wait...did anyone grab the key?!"

"We were holding onto it for dear life while trying to keep from drowning." Leanne said.

"I'm glad we held on to it. It would've been fatal." Vashyron said.

"Not fatal but we do need to for some reason." Dan said.

"Ribbit. Ribba ribbit!" a purple frog said looking at them.

"A frog?" Hope said.

"Ribba ribba ribbit!" he said.

"He's saying he's not a frog." Chopper said. "He said he was chasing a golden frog before getting cursed."

"I see. And...who or what exactly cursed him?" Double D asked

"Isn't there a spell that's capable of turning someone into a frog?" Stoj asked.

"Actually, there is. But that same spell is usually what turns them back." Kirumi said. "Fortunately I know how to use it."

"So...you could change him back?" Shuichi asked.

"I can certainly try. Ahem...Toad!" she casted as the frog soon changed into a young man with blond hair.

"Phew. Thank goodness I am back. I was afraid I'd be stuck eating flies and living on lily pads for the rest of my life." he said.

"And now you're back to normal. What's your name?" Stoj asked.

"Name's Snow. A pleasure." he said.

"(Snow Villiers. From Final Fantasy XIII? I can hardly believe it…)" David thought.

"I came here to fight the Big Jiggle in this place and then I saw this awesome golden toad and thought, you don't see to many of those and who knew, the things are contagious." Snow said.

"Ah. You caught the "Frog in your Throat" only you were the frog, huh?" Sans said.

"Maybe we can help deal with this Golden Toad, if you want." Papelne said.

"Nah. No need. I'm free from the curse so no need. Still, I overheard you guys. Nibelheim. That's one continent up. And here I thought I had it rough. And around here, one false step and...phish. You're history." Snow said.

"Wait, then how have you been getting around?" Shun asked.

"Like this." Snow said summoning Shiva as she tossed her icy wheels to make an ice path.

"No way… Your Shiva turns into a motorcycle. That's so cool!" David said.

"Stiria and Nix, otherwise known as the Shiva Sisters." Selena said.

"Hey David, maybe with the right mods, we could upgrade your bike to use ice attacks." Kazuichi suggested.

"That sounds like a great idea." David said.

"So you're a summoner too?" Emo asked.

"Nah. Summoner's too fancy a word for what I am." Snow said.

"Then what would be the right word for you?" Saaya asked.

"It's...way too complicated." Snow said.

"So, still gonna fight this Big Jiggle thing?" Rainbow said.

"Damn right I am. I'm gonna kick its butt." Snow said.

"Well, how about we help out?" Hope asked. "This Big Jiggle thing seems like something a team could take on."

"You'd really do that? Heck yeah. Let's go then. No time to waste." Snow said.

"Right! Lead the way, Snow!" CP said.

The group trekked through the marshlands as they soon came across a huge flan.

"That...looks like trouble." David said.

"So which part of it is the butt?" Reynn asked.

"Oh it's all butt and it's gonna pay!" Snow said.

"I don't know, I don't think physical attacks will work on this thing, it'll just absorb them." Reflet said.

"She's right. Only magic can beat those things. If you can't beat them down, you have to use magic of an element they don't like." David said.

"So which element is a good choice?" Linde asked.

"Let's see...fire, water, air...dragon?" Emo said as he dug through his spell book bag. "Where'd I get that one?"

"Wait...if these are wetlands, than this enemies element is water, which means…" Reflet started.

"His weakness is lightning!" Hope realized. "Sectonia, Zan, Shanoa, Emo, Akeno, light this thing up with all the voltage you've got!"

"Oh, is it my turn? I love it when I get to play!~" Akeno stepped forward with Zan, Sectonia, Shanoa and Emo.

"Your majesty, you go first. We'll follow." Zan said.

"My pleasure." Sectonia said as a magic circle appeared under her. "O righteous will, let fall thy sword of lightning on those who bear fault… Thunder Blade!" she chanted as a sword of lightning fall on the slime.

"My turn. Blessed Droplets, drive away evil in this name...Lightning Blast!" Zan chanted firing a widespread of lightning bolts.

"Jupiter!" Shanoa called as she formed a spear made of lightning and launched it at the flan.

"Lightning Cloud!" Emo yelled as a bolt of lightning struck the flan from straight above. "Okay Akeno, wrap it up!"

"Oh, this should be good." Issei said.

"Whaddya mean?" Hope asked.

"Akeno… well she's a little unique." Rias explained.

"...I suddenly have a VERY bad feeling." Mark said nervously.

Akeno giggled as a yellow magic circle appeared in front of her. After only a second, a huge bolt of lightning shot from the circle and shocked the Big Jiggle, sparks dancing around its form until…

*BOOM!*

It exploded, slime scattering all over the place.

"Oh dear, over already~?" Akeno said.

"She's a sadist, isn't she?" Marta asked.

"...Issei, are ALL of your friends crazy?" Mark asked, slowly backing away from the scene.

"No, Akeno's just one of those cases. She's into S&M." Issei explained.

"Too much detail, dude." David said.

"Agreed." Marta said with an indifferent expression.

"Hey, where'd Mark go?" ZS asked, noticing he was gone.

"I...think he's cowering behind the rock." SE said looking towards a rock in the corner of the marshlands. "Shoot, I forgot he had that problem."

"Ha...nice work. That oughta keep it down for awhile." Snow said.

"Excuse me for second." Medusa said as she walked up to the rock and picked up Mark.

"I-Is she done?" Mark whimpered.

"Don't worry, child. It's over now." Medusa assured with a blank expression.

"*sigh* Him and his paraphobia." Scarlet said.

"Wait...down for awhile?" Lemon asked.

"Oh yeah. That thing always comes back. If I don't beat it down, it just grows bigger and attacks." Snow said.

"...That could be a problem." David said.

"Hey, Reynn, why not try the-imprisming it?" Tama asked.

"Oh don't worry guys. With the beat down you all gave, it's gonna be a long time before it rises back up. And it looks like some of the swamp dried some, a clear walking back to shore." Snow said.

"Well, that's a relief at least." David said.

"In any case, I'm glad we were able to help out, Snow." Hope said.

"Same here. Guess I owe you guys one." Snow nodded. "See ya around some time."

"You too." Gemini said as they ventured off towards the desert.


	14. Castle in the Desert

"Another desert?" Aya groaned.

"Least it isn't Dubai, am I right?" Hope asked.

"True, it's not as hot here as it was in Dubai." Saaya said.

"There's no shade or anything…" Naomi said.

"What, you're pooped already? A shame, and most of you are supposed to be young." Examon said.

"Well, we're not all dragons, mind you." Leopardmon said.

"What about our heavily-clothed members? Aren't they really hot under all of that?" Crusadermon asked.

"Well, we're used to heat like this. If you really want someone who has temperature problems, you should go to Chill, not us. He wears so many layers, guy can't tell what's warm or cold." Hope said.

"Agreed." Jexi said. "Huh? What is that?" he said as they saw something walking across the desert.

"Ah...travelers...welcome." a voice said as they saw a woman in robes riding atop a large hippo like creature.

"We're saved!" Eddy shouted. "We've been wandering the desert for...how long have we been out here?"

"About two hours." Double D replied.

"You poor soul. Have some water." she said giving it to Eddy as he drank. "That'll be 100 dollars."

At this, Eddy spits out the water. "WHAT?!"

"What? 100 dollars for water? What kind of savior are you?" Usopp said.

"I am a merchant first and a savior last." she said.

"What's your name?" Selena asked.

"Wait...I recognize her. She's Shar. She's one of the highlighters for the Perfect Link Tournament." Tails said.

"Oh great…" Hope said. "So, I suppose you also want to battle us for our Tokens as well?"

"Only if you pay my battle fee...of 1000 dollars." Shar said.

"What is it with money grubbing merchants these days?" Roy muttered.

"Talk about a hard bargain…. I think she's even more money addicted than you, Eddy." Hope said.

"Hey, I have an idea!" Eddy said in a dangerous tone. "How about you battle someone, then show us a way to civilization...and I don't SMASH YOUR SMUG FACE INTO THE SAND!"

"Whoa whoa, Eddy, I didn't mean it like that!" Hope said.

"Please Eddy, restrain yourself!" Double D said trying to hold Eddy back. "Ed, Help!"

"Okay!" Ed said, running up to Eddy. "Eddy, Shar, I demand you tickle each other right now!"

"No sale on battle huh? Such a shame. Must be why I'm still stuck at one token." Shar sighed. "This is a pain. I only joined to further promote my bazaar."

"(Of course they're not gonna battle you if you charge them for it…)" David thought.

"Listen Shar, you're never gonna advance in the tournament if you charge other participants money for battles. The Bazaar promotion is a great dream, but you have to challenge someone fairly and up front and not offer anything." Hope said.

"Perhaps. Look...I have a large wagon behind Hippowdon. There's a caravan not far from here. I can see about towing you all there." Shar said.

"My feet were getting tired…" Lann thought out loud. "You got yourself a deal."

"Lann! What if she charges us for all our Gil after the ride?!" Reynn snapped.

"I will do it for free." Shar said.

"Well...we don't hear a better offer." Dan said. "I think we should take it."

"Yeah, that's our best bet. You got a deal, Shar." Gemini said.

The groups soon loaded into the wagon as Hippowdon pulled them.

"So what was with the prices?" Hope asked.

"I apologize. It was how I raised. I come from a long family of merchants. And what I've been taught is when a money making opportunity comes along...take it and milk it for all its got." Shar said.

"You remind me of Anna the Merchant in a way." Azura said.

"Eddy, I wanna apologize too. I know that you're not that guy anymore, and I didn't mean to make you mad and remind you of those days when your brother taught you everything." Hope apologized.

"I wasn't mad at you, Hope." Eddy said. "I just don't like people who care more about money than people. Reminds me too much about how I used to be, ya know? And that's not even getting into my bro…"

"Yeah, I know the feeling. Didn't have the best family life before either." Hope said. "I'm sure you, me and Shar have those moments of our past that we don't want to make us."

"I think that's something the four of us can agree on." Ace said.

"In my life, I will sell many things but this moment...it is priceless." she said.

"I'm glad you're happy with this." Hope said before the ground shook. "Uh...what was that?"

"Oh...oh dear. Seems the last sandstorm has gotten me turned around." Shar said. "We're not in a good place."

"What do you mean?" Ciel asked.

"This place...is home to monstrous sand worms." Shar said.

"Uh oh." Stoj said as the ground shook again and popped out was a large sandworm. "Out of the frying pan and into the fire."

"Do not get out...I shall handle this." Shar said getting off.

"What? But what are…" Alisa said.

"Hippowdon...it's time!" she said tapping on Hippowdon. "Burst!" she shouted as light surrounded them before Shar stood there in a brown and black dress with sand pouring at both sides of her. "Now...time for you all to leave." she said molding the sand at her right side into a whip as she snapped it at the worms, forcing some back before she made a sword with the other arm as she slashed the remaining ones in half.

"Whoa...you are awesome!" Rainbow said.

"Oh I'm really not all that. Just be glad these are the smaller ones. There's usually a larger one roaming about." Shar said.

"Like that?" Litty asked as they saw a large worm behind her.

"Yeah...that would be the worm." she said.

"You idiots! Are you trying to get yourselves killed?" a voice shouted as a figure ran towards them across the sands.

"Who's that?" Hope asked.

A light then hit the figure before they slashed the worm before it vanished as it landed showing a pink haired woman.

"Wait...that...that's Lightning!" Rainbow said.

"Pretty coincidental that we run into two L'cie in the same day." Hope said.

"Well, former L'cie for Lightning." Spade said. "She's wearing her Savior Schemata."

"Yes...well...I don't know who you all are...but it's best we find shelter for the time being." Lightning said as the group hightailed it to a distant caravan.

"Whew… thanks for saving our butts there, Lightning." Indigo said.

"So...you were looking for the keys from the prophecy." Lightning said.

"Pretty much." Naomi said. "Know anything about them?"

"Only that there are four. One of fire, earth, water and shadow. But that is all." Lightning said.

"I see. Guess they're really isn't a lot of info about em, but now we know their elements." Sero said.

"But that last one sounds odd for some reason." Simon said.

"Nothing too odd about it. The keys reside in a temple of earth, a temple of the sea and a temple in a land where there is naught but night." a woman said arriving with drinks.

"That's from the lost verses of the prophecy." Lightning said.

"I've heard it. Now...be sure to drink up." she said passing them out.

"I'll pass." Simon said.

"Simon, it's not really poisoned. What's up with you?" Hope asked.

"I'm just not thirsty that's all." Simon said.

"Yes...think I'll pass too." Shar said.

"Well, don't know about you guys...but I'm gonna hit the sack." Lann said falling asleep.

"Yeah, time to hit the sack…" Hope said.

"Agreed. It's been a long day." David said.

The next morning…

"Ugh...wha?" Jexi groaned before they saw a large chain pulling up an equally large building. "The Federation? What...ugh." he said clutching his stomach.

"Mmph!" Ace groaned holding his mouth before looking around. "Simon and Shar, where….agh!"

"The drink….they poisoned the drinks." Dan groaned.

"What's wrong with you guys?" Luffy asked normally.

"Of course you're fine. You're immune to poison." Ranma groaned. "Wait, where's David?"

"Not just him, the Royal Knights and the robotic members aren't here either." Shuichi said.

"Of course they're not. Because robots can't drink." Miu said.

"Freaking knew it, I knew it!" Eddy said. "I just can't get a break when it comes to drinks today, can I?"

"Well at least the others are safe." Shanoa said as the castle stopped in front of them.

"Well now, what do we have here?" a voice asked as a man in a regal outfit asked appearing in front of them.

"You… you're Edgar." Hope said.

"Yes...and you are our prisoners." Edgar said.

"You and what army, chump?" Emo asked, pulling out a spell book before doubling over in pain. "... stupid poison…"

"And as for what army…" he said pointing to the soldiers surrounding them.

"Yes...you did a fine job." a knight with a plume in their armor said.

"Who's that?" Donald asked.

"Beats me." Goofy said.

"(This presence… It's similar to Segwarides…)" Ace thought.

"Take them to the prison. As for the pirate...hmm? Seems he's gone. Such a shame...he'll miss seeing you all suffer." the knight said unaware of a small group watching from not far away.

"Thanks for the warning Shar. But...how did you know?" David asked.

"Being born in the Desert Universe...I've come to learn how to detect small traces of poison." Shar said.

"Glad I wasn't the only one who thought it was suspicious." Simon said. "Now we're gonna have to figure out how to rescue the others."

"Isn't it obvious. Prison break. We break in and free em." Luffy said.

"If we wanna do that, we'll have to chase down that castle." X said as the castle began moving away.

"Good thing some of us are quick on our feet. Veevee, Kentaurosmon. If you two can get us close enough, we should be able to break in." David said.

"I'll lead the way in." Alkaline said.

"Should I summon Diomedes as well?" Simon asked.

"Don't worry...I got a funner way of getting there." Luffy said wrapping an arm around the group as he stretched and grabbed onto the castle with the other.

"Hang on to your hats, people." David said.

"Uh Luffy, I'm not so sure about -" Alkal started before they were all launched into the air.

"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed.

"WHOAAAA!" Most of the group yelled.

"Oh come on! This is fun!" Luffy said. "Plus we'll get there easily!"

"You can't argue with that!" Omnimon called.

"Nokia really rubbed off on you, didn't she?" Simon asked as he saw they were closing in. "Brace yourselves!"

The group then crashed into the castle as the operation to free their comrades began.

"We are so gonna go Dynasty Warriors on these guys." David said.

"Definitely, time to put those new skills Bayonetta taught me to work." Simon said.

"Oi! Everyone! Hang tight! We're coming to save you!" Luffy shouted.


	15. Lost Powers

"Well this is a fine mess." Sir Saiyan said as the captured members sat around a cell.

"Wouldn't be the first time we got caught." Jexi said.

"Yeah, this almost reminds me of Lignatore." Kor said.

"So, when are we gonna stop playing along and get outta here?" Moltar asked. "I think that poison is starting to wear off."

"Depends on where we are." Zoro said.

"Looks like no one's been down here for a long time." Iida said.

"I think we're in the castle from earlier." Al said. "Let's hope the others will rescue us soon."

"I'm sure they will. This is The Royal Knights, David, Simon and Luffy were talking about." Hope said.

"Don't forget our Robotic Members and Maverick Hunters." Stoj said.

"And of course Alkaline!" CP said.

"Yeah...they're gonna get us out in no time." Eddy said.

In another place of the castle…

"Whoa! So cool!" Luffy said seeing sentient machines firing at them. "Robot! And beams!"

"Luffy, focus!" David said.

"These machines...they appear sentient." Keebo said. "It appears they'll only attack human beings."

"So I guess they aim for me, Shar, Luffy and Simon. That should be plenty of coverage for the rest of you to head for the lower levels and bust everyone out." David said.

"You guys gonna be okay till we get back?" Alkal asked.

"Don't worry. We'll be fine. Just go!" David said.

"Huh?" Luffy said. "Someone else is here."

They saw a lone figure jump at one of the machines and slash it apart. The figure appeared to be a young man with a familiar sword. "So...who are you?"

"Oh! Hey Leon!" Luffy said.

"(Leon? But...I'm Squall. Though Leon doesn't sound too bad a name…)" he thought.

"Anyway… Squall, we'll explain later. Our comrades are being held captive in the lower levels of this castle." Omnimon said.

"So you want me to help these guys cover you, right? Alright, fine by me." Squall said. "To be honest, me and another agent came here to save two Mirage Keepers who were caught."

"Another one? Guys, you should meet up with them and back them up if you can." David said.

"Understood. We're on it." Omnimon said.

"Let's go." Zero said as they ran into the castle.

"Alright, while they're inside the castle, we'll take care of these robots." Simon said. "Let's rock."

As the others fought off the robots, the main rescue team with Squall scoured the lower levels of the castle.

"Jexi, Ace, Hope, are you here?" Axl called.

"You know I'm here too." Mark said waving from the cell.

"Oh, sorry." Axl said as they ran over to them. "Glad to see you all safe."

"Don't worry on pleasantries. Just get the cell open before the robots come back." Lacy said.

"You all might want to stand back." Omnimon said. "Transcendent Sword!" Omnimon shouted as he swung his sword, slicing through the cell doors.

"Nice!" Connie said. "Now let's get outta here."

"Wait, how are we gonna fight without any Mirages?" Reynn asked.

"Our weapons have been confiscated. They should be in the storage closet." Leia said.

"Okay. Where's that?" Alkaline asked.

"It should be further down the hall. That's where it usually is." Shuichi said.

"And you might want to hurry. David and the others are fighting an entire armada up there." UlforceVeedramon said.

"Why does that not surprise us?" Scott asked.

Back with David and the others…

"Ha!" Shar said severing a machine in half with a sand sword as David did the same with his ice claws.

"So many… Shelke, how are you holding up?" Simon asked.

"Doing just fine." a woman with robotic equipment said.

"I could do this all day!" Luffy said punching some more down.

"Rawr!" Simon roared as he shifted into a black and white tiger and ran across the castle wall before slashing down a large group.

"Hey...let's do this room next. I got a good feeling about it." Luffy said entering a room to see numerous child like figures that somewhat resemble black mages.

"Black Mages? Here?" David asked.

"Wait...I think I know that one in the middle. We met him a while back. Let's see...his name was the same as...Oh right! His name's Vivi!" Luffy said.

"And apparently they all look just like him. That is either very good or very very bad." Shar said.

"Could be both, the good part is they're his family, the bad, they may use their black magic on us." Simon said.

"Don't know. They tend to look the same with their faces obscured." David said.

"Plus...they don't seem too pleased to see us." Shar said as they started firing fire spells as they dodged. "Hmm?" she thought looking at the original. "They're under mind control. This is not of their own volition."

"I knew it… In that case, we can't go all out on these guys. We have to knock them out." David said.

"Then let's do it!" Luffy grinned. "Gum Gum...Jet Gatling!" Luffy shouted hitting multiple Vivi's at once.

"Arctic Style: Frost Chains!" David shouted as icy chains came out of the ground and struck the Vivis.

"Bulba, use Sleep Powder!" Simon called as Bulba fired sleep powder from his flower onto the Vivis. "Did that do it?"

"Putting them to sleep isn't the same as knocking them out." Shar said. "But striking while they sleep…" she added striking the sleeping Vivi's. "Now that is right."

"Ow!" the real Vivi said as he coughed his way out of the debris. "Who made all this smoke? And who hit me?"

"Whoa! He talks!" Luffy marveled.

"Um...are you okay?" Simon asked the real Vivi.

"Where...where am I?" he wondered. "Whoa...there are lots of me!"

"Uh… There's a very good reason for that." David said.

The black mage clones eyes glowed.

"They're attacking again!' Shar said.

"Wait!" Vivi called to the clones as they stopped. "You should not be mean. You oughta play nicer." he said as the clones stopped their attack. "There, that'll help. They'll even help us out."

"If that's the case… maybe you and your buddies can do something with that glowy thing?" Luffy asked.

"Okay. Let's do it!" Vivi said as he and his clones attacked it, charging it with power.

"The core's all powered up. Edgar now!" Shelke said on a comm.

"Wait, what?" Shar said as they felt the whole castle shake. On the the outside, the castle moved faster until it broke off from the chain connected to it.

"Never underestimate the power of Figaro Castle." David said smiling.

"So Edgar isn't a bad guy?" Luffy asked.

"We're all with the League of S. In fact, he was the one who sent Lightning to help you all." Shelke said.

"And I'm guessing poison was part of the plan?" Simon asked.

"It wasn't a poison. Just a small something to inhibit them temporarily. We had to make it look convincing to the Federation." Shelke said.

"I see. However, after Alphamon's coffee brews… I wouldn't trust anything weirdly made. Sorry." David said.

"On that, I agree." Simon added.

"I think I'll see about heading south once we stop. There are still people in the desert in need of a merchant." Shar said.

"Hey, you know looking at this place sort of makes me think of that earth temple thingy from the story. Think there's a key here?" Luffy asked.

"Key? Do you mean this?" Vivi asked holding a key.

"That's it! That's one of the four keys!" Simon said. "Where'd you find it?"

"I found it in that room. If you want, you guys can have it since we're friends now." Vivi said.

"Wow! The Second Key in our hands and we didn't even have to go looking for it, thanks so much Vivi." David said. "Though, you guys'll have to explain this to the others just in case."

It wasn't long before everyone was on deck watching as the sands rolled by.

"We should be out of federation territory soon. Also...about the shadow key...I think I may know where it may be." Edgar said.

"You do?" Pearl asked.

"There is a bridge that leads to a continent that doesn't get much sunlight due to large dark clouds. It has to be there." Edgar said.

"That's our best bet. Shall we head off?" Hope asked.

"Yeah! Let's head to the bridge!" ZS said. "... Wherever it is."

"We'll stop close to it and let you off." Edgar said.

"Thank you." Ace said.

"(Still...I get the feeling this is way too easy.)" Naomi thought. "(Just what is going on?)"


	16. Battle on the Big Bridge

"Are we there yet?" Ed asked.

"Ed, you've asked that 50 times!" Mark said, face palming.

"And besides...we're here." Ross said as they looked upon a gigantic bridge.

"So...huge. To think this was man made." Miles said.

"It isn't. This bridge was summoned here a long time ago." a voice said as they saw a young girl with a horn on her head. "I'm Eiko...the summoner in charge of it."

"Summoner...like Rydia?" Ace asked.

"Yes. See...this bridge is actually a summon. It's called Big Bridge Alexander." Eiko said.

"So it's alive? Very interesting." Peridot-2 nodded.

"So if that's the case, how do we get across it?" Hope asked.

"Easy. I'll wake the big guy up and you can take the elevator platform all the way up to the top." Eiko explained.

"Kinda like the elevator Ed improved. Who knows how big this thing is." Frisk said.

The group got on a platform as Eiko hit the ground as the platform rocketed right up the path at incredible g forces.

"Whoooo!" Hope said.

"It feels like my face is gonna fall off!" Mari yelled.

"We're going...so fast!" Rainbow said.

"Come on! Can't we go faster?" Sonic said.

"Oh man! What is with me and high speeds?!" Pit asked.

It wasn't until the platform was halfway up that it stopped. "Huh? We stopped?" Jade asked.

"Looks like it. Well, guess we're gonna have to walk the rest of the way." Neu said.

"So, just to clarify. This is what you guys do every day?" Naomi asked.

"Pretty much." David said.

"Wow, you guys really have been busy." Naomi said.

"Yeah...guess we have." Jexi said as they started heading up the bridge.

After climbing for a bit, they came to a dead end.

"Okay...how do we get past now?" Lann asked.

"I got it." a voice said as boy on a chocobo hit a switch as the dead end lowered opening the path.

"Hey thanks." Hope said. "What's your name?"

"My name is Bartz and this is Boko." he said.

"Nice to meet you two." Kendo said.

"Say...there's been some weirdo on this bridge shouting my name a lot. It's not any of you is it?" Bartz asked.

"Nope. But...I think I might know who it is." David said.

"Yup. Definitely him. If this is Big Bridge, then he's gotta be on it." Rainbow nodded.

"He?" Scarlet asked.

"An ancient warrior named Gilgamesh. He's sorta like a samurai and he is on this bridge." Rainbow said.

"I never even met him before yet he's going around hurting people and using my name." Bartz said.

"Well, if you want, we can take care of him for you." Sora suggested.

"You'd do that?" Bartz asked.

"Sure. could be cool to fight him, right David?" Hope asked.

"Hope, you really should stop asking David for everything. There are other people here. But we still should deal with this guy." Ichiro said.

"I'll do it." Yoko said.

"Yoko? You sure?" Mana asked.

"Positive. Besides, the Synchronization ability even applies to Requip Magic. So, yeah. I'm pretty sure I can take him." Yoko said.

"Well...here goes." Bartz said as they headed up to the top of the bridge.

"Bartz!" a voice echoed as a figure in red jumped down. "I've waited for this! The day of my revenge! I have waited for this for...for um….how long have I waited?" he said.

"He doesn't even know? Dude, you need friends…" Moltar said, sweatdropping.

"Shut up, I know! It's been about...oh! 100 years!" Gilgamesh said.

"Wow...well rounded...for a number he pulled off the top of his head." Riku said.

"Very the-lame." Tama agreed.

"I know." Reynn said.

"Argh! Nobody disrespects the Almighty Gilgamesh, not without a fight!" Gilgamesh said.

"Guess we made him mad. You're up, Yoko." Marco said.

"Alright. Here we go." Yoko said as she went to his level.

(Cue- Clash on the Big Bridge- Dissidia NT)

"You dare challenge me? Bring me Bartz, you are not who I desire!" Gilgamesh said striking with his spear.

Yoko conjures a sword and parries. "I might not be Bartz, but I'm still pretty close."

"You dare mock me?!" Gilgamesh said as he continued to attack with his spear.

"Transcendent Sword!" Yoko shouted as she swung her blade at Gilgamesh.

"You are skilled. In which case… Thunderbolt!" Gilgamesh called firing a bolt of electricity.

"It's going to take more than that." Yoko said as she switched to a rapier. "Black Aura Blast!" she shouted as she fired a wave of energy from her rapier.

"She's using attacks from the Royal Knights to take the fight to Gilgamesh. Pretty impressive." Hope said.

"Indeed. I didn't even know Yoko could copy their abilities." Double D said.

"Synchronization...it really is a force to be reckoned with." Gallantmon said.

"Ugh...stop stop! This...this is unfair! You only won cause you weren't Bartz. Well...hear me, Bartz! Next time your sidekicks won't step in to help ya!" Gilgamesh said jumping off the bridge as a white bird was seen carrying him off.

"He's getting away!" Sir Saiyan said.

The bird struggled before both fell from the high sky.

"No...he really isn't." Gajeel said.

"What a weirdo." Tamamo said.

"Tell me about it." David said as Yoko recalled her weapon and rejoined the others.

"Maybe but at least he won't be causing trouble for awhile." Ciel said as they finished crossing.

"Well, this is as far as I go. Hope we meet again, someday." Bartz said.

"Us too." Ichiro said.

"Cmon, everybody! The new continent is right up the last stretch of the bridge!" Connie said as she ran up.

"Alright, the final sprint!" Lann cheered following.

"So he's actually waiting for other people to go. I'm proud, he's learning." Emo said.

"Let's make sure he doesn't get lost." Reynn said as they followed after him.


	17. Naught but Nightmares

"Look! Another train. But this one looks eerie. Like they got ready for Halloween around here." Indigo said.

"It's like anything could pop out at any moment." Reynn said shaking.

"Your….tickets….please…." a voice said as Reynn screamed as a familiar conductor popped out.

"Reynn, calm down. It's just the cactuar conductor." Aelita said.

"What?" Reynn said. "Then why did you scare me like that?!"

"I couldn't help it. The look on your face, you were just begging to have your heart jump." the conductor said laughing.

"Gee, how nice of you." Emo said sarcastically.

"Why you….!" Reynn fumed as she chased the conductor up and down the station and train.

"Do you think this is the same Ghost Train from Final Fantasy 6?" Mari asked.

"Most likely. It does have that same eerie feeling." David said.

After awhile, Reynn had ended her chase and was breathing heavily.

"Um, Reynn? Are you oka-OW!" Lann started before getting hit in the face by Reynn.

"Yeah, I've still got it!" Reynn smirked slamming her fists together.

"Yeah, well you don't have to give it to ME!" Lann protested.

"Banter between siblings, at least that hasn't become cliche." Spade said. "Though I am worried about Lann."

"Yeah, that might've broken his nose." Hope said. "Note to self, never make Reynn angry."

"Oi, Reynn!" ZS said. "Save that strength for the enemy!"

"Still, if we're planning to head to our destination, maybe it's best for us to take the Ghost Train." Ichiro said.

"Seems like it. Uh… Kaito? You okay?" David asked.

"Yeah...I'm fine. I'm sure...wherever we're going won't be as scary as the train." Kaito said shaking.

"For your sake, I hope they have a top notch hospital...just to be safe." Tenko said.

As they got on the train, it sped along the tracks before arriving to a town where lots of books were stacked everywhere.

"Huh...not at all what I was expecting." Kaito said before seeing a woman sob. "Huh? Hey miss. You okay?"

"Kaito maybe you should…" Shuichi said before noticing a person biting another person and having pointed ears. "Kaito, get away from her!"

"Huh?" Kaito said as the woman turned around showing red eyes and sharp fangs.

"They're Vampires! Kaito, get away from her!" Rainbow called.

"Son of a gun!" Mark shouted before drawing his pistol.

"Don't shoot." a voice said as a figure took down the vampires before landing revealing a familiar face.

"Hey! Cloud!" Sora said.

"You know me?" Cloud asked.

"Yeah...you could say we've crossed paths in another life." Sora said.

"Hmm...I'll ask more later. We need to move. They won't stay down for long." Cloud said.

"Were they cursed?" Philia asked before seeing them begin to rise. "On second thought, we can talk later."

They ran through the streets before finding solace in a grand library filled to the brim with books.

"This library… So many books… Fascinating!" Leopardmon said.

"Of course Leopardmon would have an interest in this place, being the bookworm that he is." Magnamon said.

"Well, he had to get that sharp mind of his from somewhere." David said.

"Ah...you've made it back." said a woman with long blond hair.

"We're fine, Celes. I got them here just in time." Cloud said.

"Hi." Steven said. "Nice to meet you!"

"So, I can only assume that you know Lann and Reynn?" Sakura asked.

"Yes, they're the Jiants from the prophecy." Celes nodded.

"So, what's going on here? Why are there Vampires in the streets?" Hope asked.

"An outbreak. Vampires descended here and before we knew it, the whole town was overrun." Cloud said.

"Who launched the attack on this town?" Philia asked.

"Vampires of course." Celes said.

"As a matter of fact… they only started showing up when a giant anchor embedded itself in the town." Cloud said.

"A Giant anchor… but that would mean…" Hope said.

"Federation possibly." a voice said as a strange looking robot wheeled out.

"There you are, Cid." Celes said.

"Whoa! What sorta robot is that?" Hagakure asked.

"It's… really weird looking." Alphys admitted.

"I never seen anything like him before." Mari said as she stared at Cid and scanned him.

"Now I do tend to...Whoohoo! Whoohoo! Whoohoo!" Cid said bouncing around the place before Celes struck him down.

"Go haywire. Which is why I have to stay here." Celes said.

"Do you have any idea where the Vampires are coming from?" Saaya asked.

"It doesn't really matter since so many have filled the town and turned the others." Cloud said.

"But isn't there some way to fix them? A cure?" Chopper asked.

"Hmm. Yes I do believe there may be a way." Cid said. "They say destroying a vampire who bit someone can remove its curse from them."

"So… We just have to find the vampire that started all of this. That will prove to be difficult." Leopardmon said.

"Is there any place the vampires tend to retreat to?" Jexi asked.

"Hmm. Yeah. North, to the old train yard." Cloud said.

"Vampire Slaying, huh? "Awesome." Kagura said in broken japanese at the end.

"(Where did that come from?)" ZS wondered.

"Kagura tends to speak in broken Japanese from time to time, it's her quirk." Litty said.

"Now...how about we go and take down that prime vampire?" Rainbow asked.

"Hell yeah!" Kagura said.

"Agreed, let's get going." Leopardmon said.

The group made their way to the old train yard.

"This place is kinda creepy." Mari said shaking.

"It's gonna be okay." SE said. "We're gonna beat this vampire and find the last key. Easy."

"Second to last. We still got the water key to try and find." Sci Twi said.

"I don't think it will be that easy… wait… where's Reynn?" Hope asked.

"She was with us a second ago…" Gemini said.

"There she is!" Donald called as they saw Reynn lying on one of the train cars.

"Reynn, what're you doing up there?" Eddy asked.

"Ugh… I dunno…" Reyn groaned.

"Uh, guys? I don't think we need to look for the vampire." Hagakure said. "Because IT found US!" she said as the Prime Vampire appeared.

"Come on Reynn! We need...you?" Eddy said seeing her with fangs. "Crud! He got her!"

"Aw come on!" ZS said. "You're gotta be kidding me!"

"Guys, guys, calm down! This is not the time to panic." David said.

"That was annoyance. I don't wanna fight her in front of her brother." ZS said. "Sounds like a jerk move."

"Guys!" a voice shouted as they saw Cloud above. "Grab this!" he said launching a wooden stake towards them.

"A stake?" Indigo asked before grabbing it. "Oh, I get it...David, heads up!" she said tossing it towards David.

"Huh? Why me?" David asked.

"Aren't you the monster expert?" Indigo asked.

"Why didn't you pass it to us? We've literally found hundreds of zombies and vampires!" Kagura said.

"Guys, we don't have time to argue!" Issei said.

"Seriously, will one of you stake the prime before Reynn makes me her meal?!" Eddy asked.

"Okay… Here goes." David said bringing out his tennis racket as he chucked the stake up like a serve. He then smacks the stake flying towards the Prime Vampire as it pierces through him.

"Woo! First come, first serve!" ZS cheered.

The prime soon turned to dust as Reynn's vampirism faded.

"Okay...we did it. The prime is no…" Indigo said before the others stared. "What?"

"What? You could have easily jabbed the stake in yourself." Lemon said.

"Oh yeah….I could have." she realized.

"Eh, what're you gonna do?" Eddy said.

"Well it's too late now. I'm just glad I came in time." Cloud said.

"Hmm? Hey...look what I found." Lann said picking up a black key on the ground.

"That's it! The final key!" Hope realized.

"Second to last. We still need the water key." Sci-Twi said.

"Sorry. It's hard keeping track." Hope said.

"But we can move on and find it now. With the vampires gone, the people should return to normal." Robin said.

"But...what will all these keys even open?" Cloud asked.

"I dunno. A door maybe?" Lann said.

"Actually, nevermind. Overthinking it." Cloud said walking off.

"Thanks a lot, Cloud." Emo grumbled. "What a great team player you are."

"Emo, I know that's your nature, but that's just how he is." Hope said as Cloud walked away. "When we first met him, he was also like that… that time we had to fight him."

"Yeah. He wanted to get stronger to try and find someone important to his heart so he teamed up with Hades. But...we were able to get some light back into it." Sora said.

"...Guess getting stronger isn't always a good thing, huh?" Emo said.

"Emo, seriously. Shut up." David said.

"Okay." Emo replied.

Unknown to them, elsewhere in the yard, a train was slashed in half by a mysterious black knight.


	18. The Fell Spell and the Quacho Queen

The group arrived to the train to the upper continent as they boarded.

"Okay passengers, please fasten your seatbelts!" the conductor said.

"Seatbelts? For a train?" X asked.

"Maybe it's...for safety." Naomi said as they fastened in as the train seemed to be positioned straight up. "Huh?"

"Liftoff!" the conductor said as the train was launched high above breaching into a large sea where they saw lots of fish swim about.

"Wait, we're we underwater the whole time?" Eddy asked. "Because ya don't usually go into an ocean that way."

"Maybe the sky above the continent we were just in was the ocean itself." Hope theorized.

"Well the sky is blue like the ocean, though that sounds both stupid and true." Stoj said.

"Well we won't be in the ocean for long." Nami said as they breached the surface and arrived near a small beach town.

"Wow...seeing this place...it reminds me so much of my island." Sora said.

"Yeah. Mark, David, Ace, you guys would love Destiny Islands. It's very lively, and sunny." Riku explained.

"I'm sure we would." Ace said.

"Though, seeing this place… it kinda reminds me of the adventures we had together. But then again… the eventual clash were gonna have with HIM." Hope said.

"Don't remind me. I'm gonna make sure he dies this time." Rainbow growled.

"Rainbow…" Jesse muttered.

"I think I know who you're talking about. That guy Jexi referred to on Korra's world." Mark said.

"Xehanort." Jexi said.

"He's bad news. Like really. He did some really horrible things. Possessing a friend of Rainbow's..." Hope began.

"Don't sugarcoat it Hope. There isn't a need. I want to kill him...because of what he did to Terra." Rainbow said summoning Earthshaker. "This thing is a reminder that he's still suffering cause of that bastard."

"Uh...I've never seen her like this before." ZS said nervously.

"..." Alphamon remained silent.

"Is something wrong, Alphamon?" David asked.

"There were records of Xehanort's acts in the archives from when the Unversed were running amok, but… I never imagined that his plans have already stretched this far." Alphamon said.

Jesse remained silent at the mention of the Unversed.

"Jesse, are you still thinking about Vanitas?" Ross asked.

"Yeah… But it's alright. I'm a lot calmer about it now." Jesse said. "Especially after some training from Kratos."

"Wait, you've met Kratos?" Lloyd asked.

"Yeah...he helped train me. But...what happened to my master isn't why I wanna fight Vanitas." Jesse said.

"Then...what?" Lloyd asked.

"Its cause of this." Jesse said holding Wayward Wind. "This blade...which belongs to Ventus. It's not only given me my way of standing on my legs but it helped keep me going. I want to be able to get Ventus back so I can return this and thank him properly."

"...Rainbow, you said still suffering. That means this Terra is alive, right?" Anakin asked.

"His body may have been taken over by Xehanort, but his soul… Yeah, I know it's still alive somewhere." Rainbow said. "I'm gonna get him back."

"Hold it, Rainbow. We need to think logically. For all we know...the possessed Terra could be in Xehanort's clutches already as one of his 13 darknesses." Jexi said.

"Yeah...I didn't even think about that. Meaning it'll be hard just to find him." Rainbow said.

"I don't think that'll be a problem. Especially since he'll find us first." Emo said. "He's a strong guy, as far as I can tell. I doubt he'd give in so easily.'

"Trust us...Xehanort is anything but easy." Riku said.

"Let's...change the subject for now. We still need to get underwater to get the key from the temple." Naomi said.

"The main question is how we're gonna get there." David said.

"I could transform and guide us down to there, but that would depend on how deep it is." Leviathan said.

"That isn't the issue. Not all of us can breath underwater and the Devil Fruit users are useless underwater." Hope said.

"Hey...we could get a solution from this person!" Lann said looking at a sign. "Panologist...someone who works with pans?"

"Actually, it means they do a little of everything." Sci-Twi said.

"Oh, so a jack of all trades type." Hope said. "Let's go and…"

"Not so fast. Look at the warning. Please be prepared to welcome all curses." Jexi said.

"Whoa...that was close. I almost went running like Lann and Reynn. Who I just realized may be in huge trouble." Hope said.

"Oh for...HAVE YOU TWO LEARNED NOTHING?!" Rin shouted inside after the twins.

It wasn't long before the group saw they were in barrels of water being carried out.

"What the?" Sanji said.

"No need to worry. I simply gave them what they wanted." said a strange woman.

"What did you do to them?" Hope asked.

"Simple. I made it so they could no longer breath air." she said.

"Whoa, you can do that? Who are you?" Luffy asked.

"Shantotto. Want me to do the same with the rest of you? Make air poisonous?" she asked.

"You do realize you just potentially killed the saviors of the world, right?" SE said.

"I said they no longer breath air. They can breath water now. Now boy, are you ready?" she asked a young man.

"Yeah, let's give it a go." he said.

"What the? Tidus?" Sora said surprised seeing the boy move the barrels.

"Hey Sora, isn't that one of yer friends from the Island?" Goofy asked.

"Yeah...well a version of him." Sora said.

Tidus then lifted Lann and Reynn's barrels onto his head before tossing them into the sea and following after them.

"So I guess they're on the way to the temple, but what about us?" Hope asked.

"I could always do the same treatment with you all." Shantotto suggested.

"No no no." Hope said. "I mean...if you have an antidote or…"

"I gave the last two to the boy who went after them." Shantotto said.

"So Tidus has the cure for Lann and Reynn." Hope said. "Hmm… I think I may have an idea how we can help. Let's send our water breathers down to help them while the rest of us stay here."

"I have the Serpent Scale that helps me breathe and move free underwater, so I will go." Shanoa said.

"I'm a frog so I can go underwater no sweat. I'll go too." Tsuyu piped in.

"How about you, Rose? You should be able to breathe underwater if you Armatize with Mikleo." David said.

"Sure, I'll give it a shot. You coming with Tapu Fini too, David?" Rose asked.

"Actually, that's what Kyogre is for. Sectonia can go with Tapu Fini." David said.

"Of course. We won't let you down." Sectonia said.

"I'll go as well." Jimbei said.

"How about you Mark, anyone on your team able to fight and breathe underwater?" Gemini said.

"What about Lapis?" Steven asked. "She's able to control water."

"...Sure." Lapis said.

"Me and Leviathan will go as well." Arnice said.

"Alright, that should just about round the party out. Shall we get to diving?" Rose smiled.

"Yep. Let's go!" David said.

They soon dove into the sea as they chased after Lann, Reynn and Tidus as they slowly approached a sunken temple.

"This almost reminds me of the Aquatic City in the Sky Universe." Arnice said.

"Really? I'm getting vibes of the Water Trial back home." Rose said as she was in her Lord of Water form.

"How about you? You're used to this by now, right?" Sectonia asked David.

"Uh huh. But this is my first time doing it with Kyogre." David said in a neon blue wetsuit with yellow lens in his goggles.

"At least it isn't Somnus Reef. It feels more peaceful here." Shanoa said.

"You still must show caution. The sea may seem peaceful now but it has hidden dangers." Jimbei said.

"Indeed, I've dealt with my fare share of aquatic monsters back home." Shanoa added. "Are you alright, Lapis?"

"... I don't have the best memories of water back home. I'll just leave it at that." Lapis responded.

"Hey, there's the temple!" Rose noticed seeing Lann and Reynn already there.

"Hey guys, whats up?" Lann asked.

"Don't you mean down?" Rose asked.

"Stop joking, were kinda figuring out how to get the cure from Tidus. We need the key, sure but… Tidus said if we don't get a ruby tear from a Quacho Queen, we'll never be able to breathe on land again." Reynn said.

"Quacho Queen?" Leviathan asked.

"A queen of a race of penguin creatures. They're pretty nice, but they don't like men very much." Tsuyu piped in.

"Oh boy… Guess I can't sweet talk my way into that ruby." David said.

"We'll just have to make sure we girls talk to her and none of you boys are seen." Rose said.

"I got it. Jimbei and I will just hang back." David said.

"You too, Lann." Reynn added.

As the girls approached the quacho queen's chamber, they overheard one of her subjects squawking to her.

"Those fiendish Tonberrys! First they have the gall to steal the key we hold, and now they summon their own king? They must be desperate to take this realm from me." the queen said.

"Tonberrys?" Rose asked.

"Oh man not those things." Leviathan said.

"But they have the key we need." Lapis said.

"She's right. We should help the Queen reclaim the key, and see if she will lend it to us." Shanoa said.

"Hm? Oh!" the queen said spying the girls. "Jiants, down here, and human ladies by the looks of it. Come now, you simply must tell me what's going on in the surface world."

"Uh, we really didn't come here to…" Rose started.

"Rose, let's not waste any time. We've been hearing you're having a bit of a...tonberry problem." Sectonia said. "So, I would like to make a proposition. We need that key in order to save this world, so I propose that we would help you."

"Hmm...very well. Just glad you aren't men. I simply despise men." the queen said.

"Thank you, your highness. Please leave the Tonberries to us." Arnice said as she bowed.

After leaving the chamber of the Quacho Queen, the girls informed David, Lann, and Jimbei of their task to take care of the Tonberries and their king.

"Tonberries...sure. Why not?" Lann said.

"Ugh… Nasty little buggers…" David said.

"We need to get rid of them if we want the key." Tsuyu said.

"She's right. You might have a dislike of them but we must deal with them all the same." Jimbei said.

"Let us be off." Shanoa said.

"Right." Lapis added.

Going into the palace, they saw some Quacho enter a secret tunnel via a giant clam as the group followed after them down it. It didn't take long before they came across a large Tonberry in a crown.

"Yup, that's one big daddy." Leviathan said.

"And they're trouble if they get close. Best to take him out quickly." David said.

"... Can these things breath out of water?" Lapis asked.

"Yeah, why?" Sectonia said.

"Ah, so much for choking it to death." Lapis said.

"Dude, seriously? That's just cruel." Rose said.

"Hmm. David...you said the Tonberry there can defeat its opponent if it makes contact, correct?" Jimbei said.

"Supposedly, yeah." David said.

"Then it's simple...instead of attacking head on….we attack from afar!" Jimbei said gathering water in his hands.

"I see, go with long range attacks then." Shanoa said as she summoned three knives and threw them at one of the Tonberries.

"Hoho! I always wanted to try this…" David said. "Origin Pulse!"

"Water Shot!" Jimbei shouted as both attacks nailed right into the Tonberry King at full force.

"Here goes. Water Pulse!" Sectonia said shooting a burst of water at the Tonberry King.

"Ice Dragon!" Leviathan called summoning two ice dragons and launching them at the Tonberry King, freezing it.

Lapis then created two fists composed of water and smashed them over the frozen King, shattering the ice and defeating the Tonberry.

"Okay...that takes care of the king." Tsuyu said picking up the blue key. "And completes the set."

"All four keys. Let's celebrate...but back on dry land." Lann said.

"Agreed. We have the key and Tidus is waiting back up there. Let's get going." Rose said.

It wasn't long before they reached the surface.

"Got the tear?" Tidus asked.

"Got it right here." Reynn said.

"And here's your cure." Tidus said as they exchanged.

"Ah...much better." Reynn said as they reached land. "Air...how I've missed it."

"And we've got all the keys now. So let's…" Arnice said.

"I've found you!" a voice said as the group saw Yuna staring at them with anger.

"Lady Yuna?" Reala asked.

"Hey, this a friend? Nice, I'm Tidus." Tidus said.

"Uh...Yuna. Now is not the time. I demand you tell me what you've done with the other summoners! What have you done with Rydia and Eiko?" Yuna said.

"What are you talking about? We haven't done anything to them!" Naomi said.

"Do not lie! They've both disappeared and the last people they had contact with was all of you." Yuna said.

"Please calm down, there must be a misunderstanding." Reala said.

"We wouldn't do anything to hurt your friends." Spade said.

"Truly…" Yuna said.

"This may sound crazy but...what if someone is intentionally targeting summoners?" Aqua asked.

"Could it be that black knight we saw back in the desert?" Al asked.

"The one with the feathers? Yeah...it could be the Plume Knight." Jesmon said.

"Wait...that same knight did…" Yuna began to say before said knight rushed through and abducted Yuna.

"Yuna!" Sheena called out.

"Don't worry, I've got her!" Tidus called chasing after them.

"I know Tidus. He can keep up with that knight." Sora said.

"As for us...the keys. We need to...huh?" Naomi said as they saw the four keys glow before flying high into the sky. As soon as this happened, a large crystal staircase came down to the ground before them.

"That's convenient." Moltar said.

"Something's not right." Ace said.

"Ace is right about this. This whole time, we've all followed some prophecy. But...this feels way too well planned to be some random foretelling." Mikleo said.

"I know these kinds of scenarios. It feels like the enemy is playing us into their hands." David said.

"So...we're not going up the conveniently magical stairs." Alkal said.

It was at that point that Omnimon's Omega Inforce kicked in and showed him a vision.

"What is it, Omnimon? Did your Omega Inforce show you something?" Kaede asked.

"It did. At our current state, we'll be able to defeat Brandelis. But… Not all of us will make it out alive." Omnimon said.

"Is that true, Sheer? You can see the future too." Hope said.

"Unfortunately he's telling the truth. If we rush into this now...Lann will die." Sheer said.

"So let's make sure that doesn't happen. We'll go all over Grymoire, gather the strongest mirages we can find, and then come back to take down Brandelis!" Reynn said with confidence.

"Okay. Hold on... whoever is up there." CP said. "We'll be right back!"

"Right. So, where should we start to gather strong Mirages?" Gemini asked.

"Gathering strong Mirages won't be enough. These two will also need to train their bodies too." Sheer said.

"Hmm. Well...I have noticed gates back to Nine Wood Hills, and our ship is there...with a training room." Tails said.

"I get it. We do a speedrun! Train the twins and their mirages at super speed." Sonic said.

"That's actually a great idea. We can train up and since time doesn't flow normally in Nine Wood Hills, we have all the time in the world." Hope said.

"Why does it remind me of those montages in the Rocky movies?" David asked.

"Of course...this won't be traditional training. Well...maybe it's better if I explain when we head back." Tails said.

They returned to Nine Wood Hills and onto the Galaxy King as Tails pulled out a disc with a familiar symbol.

"The mark of the Nobodies? What is that?" Hope asked.

"Something I compiled for something like this. This disc contains the fight data for the original Organization XIII. All 13 members." Tails said.

"Like Lexaeus and Marluxia?" Ace asked.

"Those two exactly. You don't have to fight em again if you don't want to, Ace. You can always switch it up." Hope said.

"It's okay Hope, after what happened back on Gao's world, I'm calmer now." Ace assured.

"Let me explain how it works. It runs on a pass/fail system. It starts with the lowest ranked member and goes up to number one. If they fail to defeat an opponent, the simulation shuts down and starts over at number 13." Tails said.

"So start at thirteen, and work their way up. Got it." Naomi said.

"Kind of like a Ranking's fight in a way." Spade said.

"Wait, weren't they ranked by the time they joined, not strength?" ZS asked.

"That's right. Just cause a member has a low number, it doesn't determine their strength. So they can't just judge someone based on rank and appearance." Tails said.

"Indeed, take Lexaeus for example, his strength is capable of shaking the very earth." Ace said.

"For now, let's get started. It's time to run the Gauntlet." Shoji said.


	19. Gauntlet of 13

"Hey, Lann… you really think we can take on these guys Tails has for us?" Reynn asked.

"Of course we can. There's only what, 13 of them? We got tons of mirages on our side, we can do this, easily." Lann assured.

"Glad to see your enthusiasm hasn't changed. Now, bring in their first opponent." Alphamon said.

"Right. Calling in the Key of Destiny." Tails said as appearing in the area was none other than Roxas.

"What the honk?! He looks like...Sora!" Lann gawked.

"The resemblances are the-uncanny!" Tama added.

Roxas only stared before holding his hands out. "Brighten and Blacken! Oathkeeper and Oblivion!" he shouted before both keyblades appeared in his hands.

"What the...He can dual wield?!" Lann asked.

(Cue- The Other Promise- Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix)

Data-Roxas twirled them around before he got into a fighting stance.

"Watch out!" Reynn called as D-Roxas charged and nearly missed the twins.

"Hey! There's gotta be a rule against using two weapons!" Lann protested to Tails.

"There's no such thing as unfair in here. Many of the members use different weapons, none use the same one. Some have one, others have two. You can't focus on fairness here." Tails said.

"Take that!" D-Roxas called as he held Oathkeeper and Oblivion close to him before dealing a widespread slash.

"Okay then, see how you like this!" Lann called summoning a Babyhemoth and attacking with Lighting.

D-Roxas took a little bit of damage before charging again and firing homing projectiles of light at them.

"No you don't!" Reynn called using another mirage to block the attack.

"Nice block!" Lann said before he had Babyhemoth ram into D-Roxas, sending him into the wall. After which, Roxas rose back up with a strong aura of light surrounding him.

"Here he comes, Lann!" Reynn called.

D-Roxas dashed into the center of the arena as he slowly levitated into the air and raised his Keyblades into the air as they fired beams of light, causing the sky to brighten. "Come on!" He called firing homing orbs of light at the twins.

"Let's switch this up!" Lann said exchanging his Babyhemoth for a Red Dragon as he blasted back with a fire attack, knocking D-Roxas back. D-Roxas then smiled before decompiling into data.

"First hurdle passed." Tails said.

"One down… twelve to go." Lann said as tails continued to program.

"Next up...The Savage Nymph." Tails smiled as appearing next was Larxene.

"Be careful. When she gets on the move with her speed, she's hard to stop." Hope said.

"Strike! Foudre!" Data-Larxene shouted as knives appeared in her hands.

(Shift- The 13th Reflection- Kingdom Hearts 2)

Data-Larxene smirked as she charged right at the twins and nearly slashed them across the face with her knives as she laughed.

"Whoa! You weren't kidding!" Lann said.

"Looks like she also uses electricity, we need to be careful, Lann!" Reynn said.

"Blade Storm!" D-Larxene shouted throwing each of her knives in a different direction as each one shot out a beam of electricity.

"What the heck?" Lann said as he and Reynn tried dodging each beam.

D-Larxene laughed a bit before standing next to her was a duplicate.

"Come on...we're not gonna go down like that!" Lann said summoning out one of the machines from the castle, getting into it as he charged. He quickly grabbed both copies and tossed them together, fusing them back into one before he blasted them, reverting them to data.

"Hmm. Smart. He struck before they could have a chance to split up." Tails said. "If he had let her split, that would have been trouble."

"You know… all this fighting… is starting to clear my head." Lann panted. "I think I'm finally starting to remember the past we lost."

"Yeah...same here." Reynn said.

"Interesting...it looks like the simulations are starting to stimulate their memories." Tails said.

"Two birds with one stone." Hope said. "Let's see if we can find out what Lann and Reynn experienced before we found them."

"C'mon, we're so close to remembering everything, keep em coming!" Lann said.

"You sure? Your next opponent will not be so easy." Mayumi said.

"We may have almost ended the world. We can handle it." Reynn said.

"Alright, if you say so. Tails… bring him in." Hope said.

"Next up, is the Graceful Assassin." Tails said as Marluxia appeared.

"I get the sense that this guy is pretty strong despite being Number 11." Lann said.

"More than you can imagine." Data-Marluxia said as a flower petal floated down. "Bloom, Graceful Dahlia!" D-Marluxia said as his scythe appeared.

"Aw dang!" Lann said as D-Marluxia came in swinging his blade as he sent the twins into the wall.

He then disappeared and whispered something in Lann's ear as a counter appeared above his head.

"What the honk is this?" Lann asked.

"Death Counter. If you take too many hits...the simulation will automatically end." Tails said.

"But you can restore it after Marluxia is wide open to an attack so you can steal his scythe." Ace added.

"Not this time. Your simulation had a limiter. All of these...no limits." Tails said.

"So they could seriously get hurt?" Hope said.

"Very seriously." Tails said.

"Lann, you have to be carefull!" Reynn called.

"Heh… you don't think I know that? We tossed precaution out the window when we made that mistake." Lann said as D-Marluxia charged as Lann evaded his swings. "We were too cocky when we were told we could save the world. So we decided to summon those gods our mother and father told us about. So it's up to us...to fix the mess we caused!" Lann said kicking D-Marluxia away before grabbing his scythe, slashing him several times before tossing the scythe at him, slaying the data copy.

"Whoa...not bad." Tails said.

"Keep it going. We need to be stronger." Lann said.

"Okay. Next is the Gambler of Fate." Tails said as Luxord appeared.

"Luxord…" Hope breathed.

"Fate huh?" Lann said. "Bring it on!"

"Seems we have a bit of an unfair advantage." Luxord said snapping his fingers as Reynn got trapped in a card before going to Luxord's hand.

"Reynn!" Lann called.

"This is what he did when he faced me." Hope realized.

"Gimme back my sister, you Jerk!" Lann snapped.

"If you want her back...to win, you simply need to strike me down." Luxord said. "Start the clock, Fair Game!" he said as cards appeared around him.

(Shift- The 13th Struggle)

"The first to run out of time is the loser." Luxord said in a thinking stance.

"Time? What the honk are you…" Lann asked before seeing two meters above his and Luxord's heads. "Oh come on, another one of these?!"

"Careful! If you run out of those points, Luxord will beat you!" Hope called.

"Come now. No need to be so confused. After all, time is fleeting. And this is a game after all." Luxord said.

"Darn right I'm gonna beat you!" Lann said charging in before Luxord turned himself into a card and shuffled with the others on the ground. "What the honking Hawk?!"

"Calm down, Lann. Just focus on finding the one that has him in it." David said.

"Right...need to focus. Aha!" Lann said as he struck a card as out of it came Luxord.

"Seems you're an excellent player!" Luxord said. "Better end this fast! Look who's on top of the game!" he said scattering cards everywhere.

"Game? It wasn't a game to me and Reynn when we almost ended the world." Lann said. "We trapped our other sister in a cube and brought out the one guy we couldn't control."

"Wait, Lann… are you saying..?" Hope asked.

"Yeah… we're the ones who summoned Brandelis and started his conquest of Grymoire." Lann admitted.

"Yes...so you admit to your fault. Then allow me to end your suffering!" Luxord said grabbing two cards as he cut into Lann with them.

"And he didn't just take Grymoire. He took our parents. Lusse and Rorrick, turned them into that rhyming jerk Segwarides and that black knight Pellinore." Lann said. "Sure… we're the ones who started this mess… but were gonna finish it!" he declared as his arm glowed.

"What's this now?" Luxord asked.

"You...aren't gonna push me around!" Lann shouted as his arm became a large gauntlet as he punched into Luxord.

"Well...played." Luxord said as he vanished and Reynn was freed.

"Lann…" Reynn said.

"Yeah... I remember everything. Do you?" Lann asked.

"I...I think so. Those twin villains from the prophecy...that Demon Dyad...that was us." Reynn said.

"So it's true… you two started everything." Hope said. "That's why there were two prophecies. The Crimson Prophecy was focused on…"

"Hope...there is no Crimson Prophecy. David and Ace were right. It was a fake." Lann said.

"A fake?" Erica asked.

"A plan to open the gate. The Ultima gate and unleash the Cogna. If you guys...hadn't gone and stopped us from climbing the stairs...we would have opened it." Reynn said.

"Uh...then what would've happened?" Emo asked.

"If Omnimon and Sheer's visions are of any indication, Brendalis would return to power, and Lann would've sacrificed himself to close the gate." David said.

"So in other words, if we had opened the gate, we would have ended up dooming this world." Sora said.

"Another reason why I don't trust prophecies. They always try to screw someone over." David said.

"Well...guess we got lucky and stopped ourselves before going through with it." Dan said.

"Lann, Reynn… I'm so sorry. It must've been so hard on you." Omnimon said.

"Thanks, Omnimon… But now that we know, we have to set this right. Keep it going." Reynn said.

"You got it. Next is the Melodious Nocturne Demyx, coming at you live!" David said.

Demyx soon appeared with a smirk. "Make a splash, Arpeggio!" Demyx said as his sitar appeared in hand. "Dance, Water, Dance!" he said playing as water came to life around him becoming copies of him and his sitar.

"We should take out the clones of him before they overwhelm us." Lann said.

"I got it!" Reynn said swinging the sitar copy as it burst through the other water clones before it itself vanished.

"Uh oh. Uh...take it easy!" Demyx said before she struck him with one kick, knocking him out.

"That was it?" David asked.

"Yeah...Demyx was never the strongest in the organization...or the bravest. He was at best...a total coward." Rainbow said.

"Agreed. Though the next...is anything but a coward. In comes the Flurry of Dancing Flames." Tails said as Axel appeared.

"I get the guy's turned over a new leaf, but it's hard to deny that power of his before he became a Keyblade warrior." Hope said.

"Yeah, he looks strong… uh… what's his name again?" Lann asked.

"The name is Axel. Got it memorized?" Axel asked.

"Uh...sure." Lann said.

"You're a quick learner. So...don't go dying on me now." Axel said. "Burn! Eternal Flames!" he said as two chakrams appeared in his hands.

"If hes fire, then we'll go with Water!" Lann said attacking Axel with water attacks.

"Not gonna be that easy!" Axel said. "Burn, Baby!" he said as the floor ignited.

"He ignited the floor?!" Lann said as he and Reynn took on burn damage.

"I was never gonna go easy on ya." Axel said coming at them as the twins clashed with him for a moment before sending him crashing to the ground, clearing the floor of flames.

"Now we've got ya!" Lann said.

"You won't stand in our way!" Reynn said as both twins dealt a finishing blow.

"Incredible!" Hope said.

"I know. Their power keeps rising and rising." Tails said. "Now...let's move on. To the Luna Diviner!" Tails said as Saix appeared next.

"Saix…" Jexi said.

"This guy...he feels like a whole nother level." Lann said.

"Saix, during the original organization...acted as second in command." Jexi said.

"Wait… aren't we skipping a few the-numbers?" Tama asked.

"No, we aren't. Like we said before, their rank doesn't determine their skill level." Jesse said.

"Alright then… let's see what he's got!" Lann said.

"Surge...Lunatic!" Saix said as his claymore activated. "Moon, shinedown!" he said as his body filled with power as he went berserk.

"His power just went way the-up!" Tama gawked.

"Thats what makes Saix so dangerous, he can go to that next level in an instant just like that." Hope said.

"Guess in this case, seven isn't a lucky number…" Reynn said.

"Oh you have no idea…" Magnamon said.

"Haa! Haa! Begone!" Saix said tossing his claymore into them before summoning another one.

"He leaves them behind. So...ha!" Lann said grabbing it as he felt the power in it as he closed in on Saix and started beating him with it.

"You know, I just noticed something." Emo said. "When did those two get Sora-level combat experience?"

"That's normal. Those two are getting stronger with each battle in there. It's not sora level combat...it's basic battle instincts." Tails said.

"He's right, Emo. I'm not even an active fighter and even I know that." Miu said.

The battles continued on like this as the twins took down Zexion, Lexaeus, Vexen, Xaldin, even Xigbar.

"Okay...we're at the last one. Loading...the ruler of nothing." Tails said as Xemnas appeared.

"So that's Xemnas…" Reynn said.

"The big bad who shouldn't be named's Nobody." Lann said.

"Not exactly true. We found out that Xemnas was actually his body." Hope said. "During our dreamscape adventure, we all thought we were hallucinating Ansem and Xemnas still being alive. But it turns out… they were actually born from him. Xehanort...split himself in two."

"It is time...time to return to nothing. Vanish, Interdiction!" Xemnas said as two red ethereal blades appeared from his hands. Lann and Reynn clashed with Xemnas as the others were stunned at Hope's proclamation.

"Wait, he split himself in two… how is that possible?" Hagakure asked.

"He's split his own heart. Not just twice. From what we saw...he's done it at least 11 times, making 12 Xehanorts." Jexi said.

"That's just crazy! How does he even manage to do that?!" Leopardmon asked.

"This is a man who will do anything to achieve his goal, as well as a brilliant tactician. He even arranged his past self to gather the members of this organization." Ichiro said.

"And seeing Lann and Reynn fight the organization reminds me of how close we are to settling things with him." Hope said.

"Then that's what we should do then." Riku said.

Naomi remained silent at this, unsure how much help she would be if she stuck around for the battle to come.

"What do you mean?" Hope asked.

"You remember the talk. He's close to getting his 13 darknesses. And as for well trained guardians of light, we're still down by 2." Riku said.

"Riku makes a good point. If we want to have a chance, we should at least focus on getting our last few guardians." Sabo said.

"Guardians...of light? Strange. Why does that sound so...familiar?" Naomi said to herself.

"Naomi? Is something wrong?" Sachiko asked.

"Hmm? Oh ...it's nothing. Just had a bit of a flashback from those tragedy days." Naomi said.

"Come to think of it...we never really found you during that chaos." Ross said.

"Actually...I don't really remember much between the tragedy and the restoration." Naomi said.

"That's so odd… What could this mean?" Kokoro asked.

"I'm sure we'll figure out all the answers when we get to it." Hope said.

"Thanks, Hope. I appreciate it." Naomi said.

"Hey, guys!" they heard Lann and Reynn shout as they stood over the fading Xemnas as a Congratulations Banner flashed over them. "We're ready!"

"Let's go kick Brandelis's ass." Hope smiled.

"Right. This will be the final battle for the fate of this world. Let's come at him with everything we've got!" David said.


	20. The Bonds that Change Destiny

After Lann and Reynn's gauntlet against the original Organization XIII, the groups return to Grymoire where they stand before the stairs to Brandelis' domain.

"No doubt Segwarides and Pellinore are waiting for us at the top. We're gonna end this here and now." Ace said. "But still...it doesn't feel right, they're Lann and Reynn's parents, there must be some way to save them."

"I wish there was, but as long as Brandelis has them under his control, they won't listen to a word we say." David said.

"Dammit…" Ace muttered before turning to the twins. "Lann, Reynn, please let us handle Segwarides and Pellinore, they're your parents, and it wouldn't feel right for you two to fight them."

"He's right. You two have already gone through so much. We can't force that on you too." Sachiko said.

"You guys would really take care of them for us?" Reynn asked.

"Yeah. We're friends, aren't we? We got your backs." Hope said. "In fact, I think I might know who could fight them while you take on Brandelis."

"Who?" Lann asked.

"Easy. The Royal Knights' power couple." Toma said.

"Us? You're sure of this?" Dynasmon asked.

"Sure as sure can be." Toma said. "It's almost kinda symbolic since you two were controlled as well. Uh.. no offense."

"None taken. Still, I never thought the two of us would fight side-by-side again." Crusadermon said. "Though it does feel kind of weird that our opponents are the ones being mind controlled this time."

"She's right. It's kind of ironic now, but…" Dynasmon started.

"But nothing. The past is past. We've forgiven you both for what happened in Tokyo." Hope said. "We wouldn't count on you two to do this if we didn't believe you could. And we do. Dynasmon, Crusadermon… can you defeat them?"

"Of course. Leave it to us." Dynasmon said.

"We'll defeat them and free the parents...if we can." Crusadermon said.

"Alright… then let's get to it." Hope said.

The group then ascended the stairs, fighting off Brandelis's Mirages as they made their way to the top.

"There he is. Let's go!" Hope said before running into a barrier after Lann and Reynn passed through. "What?"

"Whoa whoa. You really think I'm gonna let all of you through...baby blue?" a voice said.

"Xigbar!" Hope said.

"Hehehe. Ah. Nice...you remember my name." he said stepping out of the dark.

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" Ace asked.

"What are you even doing here?" Hope demanded.

"Chill...I'm not here to fight. Just to make sure the twins don't have you as backup." Xigbar said.

"What are you talking about?" Hope said.

"See...I have a job here. I was prepping Brandelis to be the old man's 13th vessel." Xigbar said. "And if I let you fight...well...that would put a real wrench in our plans."

"Oh yeah, you gravity jackass?" Emo said. "If you couldn't stop these guys before, what makes you think you can now?"

"Like I said...I'm not here to fight. Besides, you really think I'm just gonna be easy prey to any of you...especially baby blue over there." Xigbar said.

"You've always been calling me that." Hope said. "But maybe you're overestimating the twins."

"You mean underestimating?" Xigbar asked.

"Huh? Oh yeah." Hope said.

"Well...guess we'll see if they make it down." Xigbar said seeing them run towards Brandelis's chamber. "Hopefully, we get a vessel out of this. We already failed once with that woman general."

"Kuvira...if was you." Hope said. "You all sent Invel after her."

"Wow...give the kid a prize." Xigbar said laughing.

"Listen you ass...I don't care who you are or your intentions...but you messed with the tournament participants...and I cannot let that stand." David said. "So...get out of our way."

"Oh...so we got someone else who thinks he's a bigshot huh? Well...let's make this more interesting." Xigbar said as a door opened in the barrier. "A small opening...but there's a catch...it will only let you in."

"Why him though?" Sectonia said.

"Cause baby blue made a point. Having the twins alone get defeated wouldn't prove Brandelis's worth...but facing this guy...now that might prove something." Xigbar said.

"Talk about overconfidence." David said.

"Not really. See, even I have no clue if Brandelis can win or not. I just wanna see which way the scales will tip." Xigbar said.

"You picked the wrong guy for the job, I'll tell you this." David said as he went through.

"He's right ya know." Hope said as the door closed. "When it comes to fighting for his friends, David's the last guy you want going out there."

"Heh. Guess we'll see, baby blue. But for right now… I think you might wanna be expecting some company." Xigbar said.

"Huh? Whaddya mean?" Hope asked.

"Oh, they'll remind ya." Xigbar said. "If you survive… I'll be seeing you all real soon." he then vanished.

"Uh, what did he mean by….WHOA!" Kazuichi said barely dodging an attack as Segwarides appeared.

"Segwarides!" Donald gawked before Goofy blocked an attack from an incoming Pellinore.

"And Pellinore too!" Izuku said.

"Seems that man was not lying. He really has delivered the enemy to us." Segwarides said.

"Let's finish them off then to assist Lord Brandelis." Pellinore said.

"Guess Xigbar clued you two in on where we were." Hope said. "Well, were not about to let you have your ways with us. Ready, Crusadermon, Dynasmon?"

"Ready as can be." Crusadermon said.

"Just say the word." Dynasmon said.

"Well then, go get em!" Sora said.

The two Royal Knights then faced Brandelis's generals.

"Royal Knights… no matter. They will fall like the others." Segwarides proclaimed.

"All for Lord Brandelis's victory." Pellinore agreed.

"Don't be so sure about that." Crusadermon said.

"You'll find defeating us to be a very difficult task." Dynasmon said.

Segwarides's cloak ripped open as it revealed a spiky pillar like midsection. After that was done, both of them charged, Pellinore attacking Crusadermon while Dynasmon combated Segwarides.

"What say we rough these guys up a little? DNA Disintegrator!" Dynasmon called as he shot energy blasts from his hands.

"I couldn't agree more. Spiral Masquerade!" Crusadermon called as she struck with her body-sash blades.

Segwarides and Pellinore retaliated with Thunder Magic and devastating claw attacks, but Dynasmon and Crusadermon were able to keep up.

"Hm. These guys are no joke. It seems like our normal tactics won't be able to beat them." Crusadermon said.

"If that's the case, maybe we should try that thing Gallantmon and Kentaurosmon did." Dynasmon said.

"You mean the X-Antibody? Hmm… Yes, that could work." Crusadermon said. "You ready?"

"Always." Dynasmon said.

"Hm? What nonsense are you blathering about?" Pellinore asked. "You should just hurry and die!" she said as she clashed with Crusadermon.

"You've got this, Crusadermon. Take her down!" Sachiko said.

"(Sachiko… When we first met, I was nervous as to whether I'd be accepted in the Royal Knights simply because I was a girl. But… It was your smile, that gave me the strength to push through. And then there was the Eaters that came shortly after, and how traumatized you were. I don't want anyone, least of all you, to feel that way again.)" Crusadermon thought as she started to glow.

"(It's kind of ironic, isn't it? Loyalty was supposed to be my greatest quality, and yet it led to clashes with these guys, and my fellow knights, several times. But now, I will uphold that oath, and grant my new leader the strength to push forward!)" Dynasmon thought as he glowed as well.

When the lights subsided, Dynasmon was now slimmer with neon blue markings, an extra set of wings, and sharper claws. While Crusadermon was now fully armored with her sashes now taking the form of wings, she now has a sort of staff, and her Pile Bunker is now a shield.

"What is this?!" Segwardies asked as Dynasmon charged. "No.. stay back.. STAY AWAY!" he yelled as thunder struck all around.

"Scared now? Then this should terrify you then. Breath of Wyvern!" Dynasmon said as a wyvern of energy shot out of Dynasmon.

"As for you…" Crusadermon said aiming at Pellinore. "Noblesse of Rouge!" she called as rose petals shot out flying at Pellinore.

"Wow...those two are kickin ass!" Yang said.

"It's only natural. We did know them as two of the Royal Knight's strongest." Hope said.

As Segwarides collapsed from Dynasmon's onslaught, Pellinore looked to Crusadermon as she suddenly held her head. "They're fighting for… Lann and… Reynn. They're fighting… us… me!"

"What's up with Pellinore?" Uraraka asked.

"It's Lusse, she must be fighting back." Sora said.

"Then maybe we could…" Aqua started.

"No… stay back… it's still….AAAAAARGH!" Pellinore screamed as she gained a sharp point to her helmet.

"Crusadermon, watch out! She may have juiced up!" Hope said.

"Pay for your insolence… DIE! Bloody Claw!" Pellinore called charging at Crusadermon with claws ready.

"Stay back!" Aqua shouted getting between them as her Keyblade shined, firing a beam of light at Pellinore as a sort of spirit left the body as it fell to the ground.

"What...what is this!" Pellinore said in shock from the spirit like form.

"I've purged you...from her heart. Now...we can get rid of you without hurting her." Aqua said.

"Care to do the Honors, Crusadermon?" Hope asked.

"With pleasure." she said. "Pellinore...return to nothing. Fist of...Athena!" she shouted shooting a sonic boom into Pellinore as she screamed before fading away into nothing.

"Hey, somebody get those two a medic!" Scarlet said, pointing at the unconscious bodies. "...or at least a Senzu bean."

"No Scarlet, we're already too late." Hope said feeling Lusse and Rorrik's bodies. "They're dead. They have been for awhile."

"...God." Emo said, bowing his head. "They were corpses the whole time...those spirits were sick."

"But that doesn't mean we can't say thank you." a voice said as they saw Lusse and Rorrik's spirits.

"That boy was right. We have been dead. For many years in fact. Brandelis was using our bodies as vessels for Segwarides and Pellinore, but we sacrificed ourselves to split Grymoire from the other world and take Brandelis with us." Lusse explained.

"We did what we had to, to protect our children from them." Rorrik said.

"Well now it's their turn to protect this world. And don't worry about them. David's got their backs." Hope said. "Trust me when I say that he's the guy that's perfect to take on a godlike Mirage."

"We know they will emerge victorious. We have faith. Knowing that, we can move on in peace. We know now we can leave this world in their hands." Lusse said.

"Right." Hope said as he looked to the stairs. "David, Lann, Reynn… its all up to you three now.

At the top of the tower, the aforementioned three faced down Brandelis, who had taken on a horrifying new form called Exnine Bahamut.

"You fools. Now that I have achieved infinite power, no force in this A-World can stop me!" Brandelis declared. "Not even your god slaying sword can vanquish me, demon hunter!"

"Compared to deities, then of course us mortals are weak. But you can never make me ashamed of that." David said. "Because when mortals do join forces, that's when we can do anything. Because believing in our fellow man and helping each other to survive, that's what redeems us! That's what makes us who we are, makes us worthy! That's what gives us our real power!" he said as his sword started glowing.

"Yet another fool who refuses to bow to me." Brandelis said reaching into his stomach as chains rained down. "Very well… I'll destroy you! DIE!"

As the chains seemingly struck David, Masakado took on a blue hue as it was charged. "I can feel it. Keep it coming you guys… Share your power with me!"

"It doesn't matter how much energy you collect, it will never compare to that of my power!" Brandelis said as he struck, only for David to jump out of the way.

"Here we go, everyone! We'll defeat Brandelis!" David shouted as Masakado was fully charged as it expanded in size. He dove at Brandalis, who clashed with the blade.

"Face it! You're a mere mortal!" Brandelis declared.

"It's not...about gods and mortals!" David said. "You don't believe in anything but yourself. And we won't let you win!" he then proceeded to thrust Brandalis right at the stomach.

"I-Impossible! How can it be this strong?! It feels chaotic, so many different energies, melded together!" Brandelis said.

"This is the power of mortals fighting for each other. The power of believing in something bigger than just you!" David said.

"Insolence!" Brandelis said removing the sword. "How dare you… Strike a god! And retaliate against my divine rule?!"

"Haaaaa!" David shouted as he struck Brandelis again. "To hell with your rule. You don't deserve it!" he said as he sliced Brandelis upward.

"But how?! This can't be! GYAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Brandelis said as he was being sliced clean in half.

"Don't worry...your subordinates await you in hell." David said as both halves soon faded away.

"Wow… has anyone ever told you you're a beast, David?" Lann asked.

"A lot. But it was because of my friends that I even got this power. Without them, I wouldn't be as strong as I am now." David said.

"You should really cherish those bonds, David. You, Mark, Hope, Jexi, and Ace… along with all your friends and teammates. It's almost like you five are perfect together." Reynn complimented.

"Yeah. No matter how bad things get, you guys will always stick together. Just like the Mirages and us." Lann assured.

"Thanks, guys." David said. "So… Now that this is all over, are you guys going to…"

"Well… we were planning on sealing Brandelis away. But seeing as how you split him him half, I think we might just become the guardians this world deserves, what mom and dad wanted us to be." Lann said.

"I think that's a good idea. I shall wish you luck in your endeavors." David said.

"Thanks man. And hey, good luck in this tournament thingie." Lann said.

"We'll be rooting for you guys!" Reynn said.

"Thanks. Well, see you guys around, I guess." David said.

"Hope we meet again soon." Reynn said.

Soon after, David reunited with the others.

"So, Brandelis is done for?" Hope asked.

"Beyond a shadow of a doubt." David said.

"That's good. But...that still doesn't change that this Xehanort had him targeted as a vessel." Mark said.

"I was hoping that we could all enjoy the tournament without any interruptions… But that's obviously not going to happen as long as Master Xehanort is on the loose." David said.

"He picked a bad time to make his moves. But going this far as to destroy a world...now we have no choice but to intervene. We need to assemble the seven guardians of light." Jexi said.

"..." Naomi remained silent for a moment. "Guys…? Do you mind if I go with you for this?"

"Naomi? You sure?" Hope said. "I'm not saying...well, I cant stop you. None of us can. You already made your mind up, right?"

"I don't know why...but for some reason that term sparks something within my mind. I have no memory of what happened before, during or after the events of the Tragedy. All I know is one day I'm at the clinic, next I'm home after 2 years. I think if I follow you...I might find out what happened during that time." Naomi said.

"That does seem plausible. But, are you sure? We're gonna do a lot of fighting." Jesse said.

"I have Swanna by my side so I won't be totally defenseless." Naomi said.

"Speaking of journeys...guess I should get going too." Riku said with Mickey by his side.

"Oh? Where are you going?" Hope asked.

"The Realm of Darkness. I want to try and find this parallel Aqua that was created." Riku said.

"Oh...that actually reminds me. It sort of slipped my mind but...before I joined up with you guys, we were actually supposed to go somewhere to gain an insight." Sora said sheepishly.

"And where would that be?" Hope asked.

"Olympus Coliseum." Sora said. "Yen Sid said...maybe if I consult with Herc, I could find a way to get the power to wake hearts."

"Well then, I guess we know where we're going next." Hope said.

Simon held his hand out as a portal appeared. "There's your entry to the Realm of Darkness, Riku, Mickey. I hope this helps."

"Simon...call it off." Riku said.

"It's nothing against you, Simon. But Riku knows the darkness well. He'll find a way." David said.

"I always have...always will. I'll come back guys. Oh...and Sora...don't forget this." he said handing Sora some strange device.

"What the?" Sora said.

"It's a Gummiphone. We can use it to keep it touch." Riku said.

"Handy." Hope said.

"Alright! Olympus Coliseum, here we come!" Sora said.

"Riku, Mickey?" Ace asked. "May your heart be your guiding key."

As the others left, Riku and Mickey looked at one another.

"Wonder where he picked that up from?" Riku asked.

"I know where...but how he knows it is a mystery." Mickey said.

To be continued in Dimensional Heroes: Kingdom Hearts 3


End file.
